On the evening of 8 April, Rwanda’s Bilateral Force in the Central African Republic (CAR), together with Rwandan peacekeepers serving under the United Nations Mission (MINUSCA), the Rwandan community, and friends of Rwanda, commemorated the 31st Anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The event took place at Bimbo Base Camp in Bangui. The event was attended by Rwanda’s Ambassador to CAR, Olivier Kayumba.
The commemoration featured a moment of silence and the lighting of a flame of hope in remembrance of the more than one million lives lost during the genocide.
In his remarks, Ambassador Olivier Kayumba stated that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was the result of decades of hatred and a divisive ideology based on ethnicity; introduced by Belgian colonisers and later perpetuated by post-independence governments.
“Belgium introduced a political system rooted in divisionism and established a republic based on ethnic classification. This deep-rooted hatred culminated in the planning and large-scale execution of the Genocide against the Tutsi, which began on 7 April 1994,” the Ambassador said.
He further expressed regret that the international community failed to intervene at a time when Rwandans were in desperate need of protection. He called on the world never to allow such atrocities to happen again.
Colonel Alex Nsengiyumva, the Contingent Commander of Rwanda’s Bilateral Force in CAR, reminded the contingent of their duty to maintain peace and stability within their area of responsibility.
He emphasized that the commemoration not only honours the memory of those who perished in the Genocide against the Tutsi, but also reaffirms Rwanda’s steadfast commitment to genocide prevention and the promotion of unity and peace—both within Rwanda and globally; through peacekeeping efforts and the successful execution of bilateral missions. (End)