Prince Charles, the heir-apparent to the British throne on Thursday, April 7 planted a tree at Dumfries house to pay tribute to the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Dumfries house and its garden are owned by the Prince’s charity organisation and are listed among the significant aspects of Scottish heritage.

"Kwibuka means remember and Kwibuka 28 commemorates and reflects on the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that took place in Rwanda,” says Prince Charles in a statement from Clarence House.

The Prince of Wales was joined by former Rwandan international football player and Genocide survivor, Eric Murangwa Eugène alongside two activists, Olivia Marks-Woldman and Laura Marks who hail from the Holocaust Memorial Day Trust.

The 28th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi is happening at a time when Kigali is pursuing genocide fugitives hiding around the world. 

The country’s Genocide Fugitive Tracking Unit (GFTU) intensified efforts to see suspects arrested and sent to Rwanda for trial, or have their host countries take them to court for justice to be served.

The United Kingdom is among the countries with key genocide suspects who have allegedly had a role during the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.

Those include Vincent Bajinya who changed his name to Vincent Brown. He is a medical doctor who at the time of the genocide headed the then Natinoal Population Office (ONAPO). He is said to have been a coordinator of a militia in the capital of Rwanda.

The other key suspects -Celestin Ugirashebuja, Charles Munyaneza and Emmanuel Nteziryaryo- were bourgmestres (mayors) for the communes (districts) in the southern part of Rwanda and they are accused of having given orders to exterminate over 50,000 Tutsi who had sought refuge in their respective areas.