Foreign envoys to join hand with Rwandans in fighting the genocide denial

The Dean of Diplomatic Corps in Rwanda and South African High Commissioner to Rwanda George N. Twala asks foreign envoys to join hand with Rwandans in fighting the genocide denial and break the silence on the culture of impunity will.

This held to Kigali on Monday,on 11 June 2018, when Diplomatic Corps members commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

In his introductory remarks by Ambassador Nduhungirehe Olivier, the Minister of State in Rwanda ministry of Foreign Affairs in his remarks said that diplomatic corps used to attend commemoration day and point on that special event.

“It is the very first time that we have dedicated Kwibuka event for the diplomatic corps even you, they used to attend the commemoration day of 7th April “. He said.

Venuste Karasira, who survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at “ETO Kicukiro” shared his testimony about how UN troops abandoned them and how they were forced to march to Nyanza hill known as “Nyanza ya Kicukiro” to be killed.

“At Nyanza, they killed us as they wish. They killed us as if we were not human beings; we reached to the point we negotiated to be killed by bullets instead of machetes.” He said.

Venuste was cut by killers his right arm.

The Dean of Diplomatic Corps in Rwanda George N. Twala asks foreign envoys to join hand with Rwandans in fighting the genocide denial and break the silence on the culture of impunity will.

As Rwanda commemorates the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi within, local and international leaders posted messages condoling Rwandans as the country reflects on the 100 dark days that led to death of more than one million innocent people.

The Secretary General of United Nations, Gutteres Antonio posted. ‘Twenty-four years ago, more than 800,000 [one million] people were systematically killed in the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. The best way to honour the victims and survivors is to ensure it never happens again, anywhere.’

United Nations General Assembly has officially designated 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Since April 7th 2004, UN General Assembly has been observing the atrocities in Rwanda as just the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda, which, according to Rwanda was demeaning and ignoring facts.

The UN has now changed the narrative and it has decided to “designate 7 April as the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.”

To change the narrative, among others, the UN General Assembly referred to precedents of its own United Nations International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) which indicated that it was a “fact of common knowledge” that “between 6 April and 17 July 1994, there was a Genocide in Rwanda against the Tutsi ethnic group” where more than a million people were killed in a period of 100 days.

The United Nations, which in 1994 also had soldiers on a peacekeeping mission in Rwanda who did not help much to save the victims of the Genocide against Tutsi views its new stance as an effort to combat Genocide denial and impunity for all violations that constitute the crime of Genocide.

Ntakirutimana Deus