Story by Oleen Ndori, Foreign Desk Editor
AS Rwanda commemorates 31 years since the genocide against the Tutsi people; the East African nation continues to honour the victims, comfort survivors and pay tribute to its heroes who stopped the killings.
Marking the day in Harare this Monday, Rwandese Ambassador to Zimbabwe, His Excellency James Musoni said his country is united to make sure the events of 1994 do not reoccur.
“On this day, April 7, the mass killings began, it is recognised by the United Nations, and African Union, as the International Day of Reflection on the tragedy of the 1994 Genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda,” he said.
“It resonates well with our theme today, which is “Remember, Unite and Renew”. As we commemorate the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, we remember the dark times of our history. We show our solidarity with survivors and unite to ensure that such a tragedy never happens again, whether in Rwanda or elsewhere.
He also celebrated the role that Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC) are playing in bring peace to the Great Lakes region.
“We commend the EAC-SADC peace initiative, which promotes dialogue to address the root causes of the conflicts in Eastern DRC. We urge the international community to fully back this process and refrain from actions that do not address real issues.”
Zimbabwe honoured those that brought to an end the genocide.
“The government and people of Zimbabwe, stand in solidarity with the government and people of Rwanda in remembering the atrocities that took place 31 years ago, where over one million people, innocent children, women and men were brutally murdered,” the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Professor Amon Murwira said.
Today, we salute the courage and resilience of survivors, who had the bravery and acceptance to forgive and live side by side with the perpetrators amidst this dark history of the country.”
“Commemoration of this event each year, helps the world never to forget what happened in Rwanda. It reminds us of the collective failure of the international community to protect those who were killed so that history does not repeat itself.”
Professor Murwira added that the theme for commemorations aptly captures the vision of a peaceful Great Lakes region.
“This theme also resonates with the efforts that are currently underway, under the SADC and EAC efforts to bring peace to the Great Lakes Region. We urge all the parties engaged in the conflict to cease hostilities and prioritise dialogue. We have been able to achieve peace in Rwanda and the lessons are that violence as a way to achieve peace ended with the justification of removing colonialism.
“Going forward, lessons from the 1994 genocide are that, war should never be used again in Africa as a means to achieve peace because there is no peace in war. It is in this regard that collaborative efforts are being pursued by SADC and EAC to achieve a peaceful resolution to the conflict in the Great Lakes region.
“If we look around we see no factory which produces bullets in the East African and the SADC region. We ask this question, “Whose bullets are being used to perpetrate the violence in the East African region?” Africa must stop being used as a medium to promote its own instability.”
Bilateral cooperation between Harare and Kigali has grown with several strategic memoranda of understanding having been signed in various sectors such as air transport, finance, education, media, energy, infrastructure, and mining.
