The mayor of the commune of Woluwé-Saint-Pierre, Mr Benoît Cerexhe
The official ceremony to commemorate the Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994 took place in the morning of 7 April 2022 in Brussels. Many representatives of Belgian and European institutions and diplomatic missions were present, as well as more than a hundred members of the Rwandan community in Belgium and friends of Rwanda.As is customary, the ceremony started with the lighting of memorial candles representing the torch of memory of the Kigali Genocide Memorial which will accompany the commemorations throughout the 100 days.
On this occasion, the public was able to hear the poignant testimony of Ms Monique Usanase, a genocide survivor, who shared her story and that of her family. The representative of the association Ibuka Mémoire et Justice Belgique (ASBL), Mr Ernest Sagaga; the mayor of the commune of Woluwé-Saint-Pierre, Mr Benoît Cerexhe; and the representative of the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mr Charles Delogne, then took the floor for a special address.
This was followed by the speech of H.E. Ambassador Dieudonné R. Sebashongore, who recalled the need to fight against all forms of denial of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis. He added that the dismissal by the French Court of Cassation of the case of the attack on President Habyarimana’s plane, which had served as a legal guarantee for the denialists since 1998, had dealt a major blow to their campaign of manipulation. His speech reiterated the Rwandan government’s support for the survivors of the Tutsi Genocide.
Finally, wreaths of flowers in memory of the victims were laid at the Stele erected in memory of the victims of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis of Rwanda in 1994. (End)