Search
  1. Home
  2. East Africa
  3. Rwanda

Genocide commemoration underway

[Rwanda] 1994 Genocide in Rwanda. Corinne Dufka
The failure of the international community to halt the Rwandan genocide has underpinned the debate on civilian protection ever since
    NAIROBI

    Rwanda at the weekend began a week-long commemoration of the 1994 genocide in which at least 500,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed, news organisations reported. Flags will fly at half mast throughout the week, entertainment places will be closed and state-run radio will play solemn music, the British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) said. According to the Associated Press (AP), the authorities have organised countrywide conferences to discuss how Rwandans could remember what led to the killings and work together to rebuild their country. The genocide was unleashed after the downing of a plane carrying Rwanda’s former president Juvenal Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart, Cyprien Ntaryamira on 6 April, 1994. Both men were killed.

    The genocide ended three months later on 4 July when President Paul Kagame’s Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) captured the capital, Kigali and formed a government comprising both Hutu and Tutsi politicians. “The theme of this year’s commemoration is to remember in order to rebuild Rwanda,” AP quoted Culture Minister Francois Ngarambe as saying.

    This article was produced by IRIN News while it was part of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs. Please send queries on copyright or liability to the UN. For more information: https://shop.un.org/rights-permissions

    Share this article

    Our ability to deliver compelling, field-based reporting on humanitarian crises rests on a few key principles: deep expertise, an unwavering commitment to amplifying affected voices, and a belief in the power of independent journalism to drive real change.

    We need your help to sustain and expand our work. Your donation will support our unique approach to journalism, helping fund everything from field-based investigations to the innovative storytelling that ensures marginalised voices are heard.

    Please consider joining our membership programme. Together, we can continue to make a meaningful impact on how the world responds to crises.

    Become a member of The New Humanitarian

    Support our journalism and become more involved in our community. Help us deliver informative, accessible, independent journalism that you can trust and provides accountability to the millions of people affected by crises worldwide.

    Join