World should heed Rwandan genocide lesson

As Rwanda yesterday paid tribute to the 800 000 people that were murdered during the 1994 genocide, their president Paul Kagame rightfully said “the international community had failed” his country.

Yesterday marked the 30 year anniversary of the start of those tragic times, where mostly Tutsis lost their lives, but also moderate Hutus during a 100-day massacre by Hutu extremists and the “Interahamwe” militia.

What triggered Rwandan genocide?

The massacre was sparked by the assassination of Hutu president Juvenal Habyarimana on 6 April, 1994, after his plane was shot down over Kigali.

Kagame said: “Rwanda was completely humbled by the magnitude of our loss. And the lessons we learned are engraved in blood. It was the international community which failed all of us, whether from contempt or cowardice.”

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Remembrance flame

Yesterday, the day Hutu militias began the rampage in 1994, the Rwandan president placed wreaths on mass graves and lit a remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial where more than 250 000 victims are believed to be buried.

President Cyril Ramaphosa was one of many foreign dignitaries in attendance.

Where were the international leaders?

The pain is still there for the Rwandan people, and the scars will still remain for many a generation. There’s no question more could have been done by international leaders.

With so many conflicts still taking place today, how haven’t we learnt from the past? We can never have another Rwandan genocide.

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