On Friday, the President of the Rwandan Senate Dr Kalinda François Xavier attended, in Luanda, Angola, a ceremony commemorating the 31st anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
Hosted by the Embassy of Rwanda in Angola, the event was attended by high-level Angolan government and parliament representatives, diplomats, and members of the Rwandan community in Angola.
In his powerful speech, Senate President Kalinda recalled how Belgian colonial rule institutionalized ethnic divisions that had never existed in Rwanda’s traditional society — divisions that sowed seeds of exclusion and hate.
“These artificial divisions were imprinted into identity cards and official documents — tools of exclusion that became the norm for decades,” he said, tracing the roots of division to colonial policies later perpetuated by post-independence regimes.
“After independence, this toxic legacy continued — with regimes preaching hatred, justifying forced exile, and fueling ethnic divisions. This dangerous ideology ultimately devastated our country in 1994 and culminated into Genocide”, he added.
The President of the Senate emphasised that the international community must confront the history of the Tutsi genocide by examining both internal and external responsibilities — those who planned and carried out the genocide, as well as those who enabled it through immoral politics, selfish interests, silence, or complicity. (End)