Ernest Rwamucyo, the High Commissioner of Rwanda to India, hosted a dinner reception in New Delhi Tuesday to celebrate the country’s 23rd Liberation Day.

The event was graced by more than 300 guests, including senior Indian government officials, diplomats, members of the Indian business fraternity, and Rwandan Diaspora members living around the capital, who gathered to honour the struggle led by the Rwanda Patriotic Front and the liberation of the country from the Genocidal regime on July 4, 1994.

 "Today is a double celebration. We celebrate 55 years of independence and 23 years after the liberation of Rwanda from genocidal forces. This liberation marked the stopping of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” Amb. Rwamucyo said in a statement.

 "As we celebrate the sacrifice of our heroes and the resilience of the Rwandan people, we are conscious that the struggle and journey to true independence, self-reliance and lasting economic transformation of our country remains long and tedious.”

 The High Commissioner also commended the "excellent bilateral cooperation” existing between Rwanda and India, recalling the official visit of President Paul Kagame to India in January and the official visit to Rwanda of Hamid Ansari, the Vice President of India.

 During the Vice President’s official visit to Kigali, India and Rwanda signed a Bilateral Air Service Agreement which paved the way for RwandAir, the Rwanda national carrier, to launch direct flights from Kigali to Mumbai non-stop.

 India also committed to substantively support Rwanda’s development agenda, especially in the area of infrastructure. In May 2017, on the side-lines of the Africa Development Bank Annual Meetings, the two governments signed $81 million Concessional Line of Credit for establishment of 10 Technical and Vocational Training Centres and four Business Incubation Centres.

Kwibohora23 in the Netherlands

 Meanwhile, the Embassy of Rwanda in The Hague also celebrated Liberation Day during an event attended by members of the diplomatic community and international organisations.

 The celebration in The Hague included a lunch-reception with traditional dance, a short speech by three Rwandan children in addition to a speech by Amb. Jean Pierre Karabaranga.

 Liberation Day is held every year on July 4, marking the day the Rwandan Patriotic Army liberated Kigali and the stopping of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

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