The staff at the Embassy of Rwanda in the Russian Federation, in collaboration with the Rwandan community there, on Monday, April 7, marked the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi, honouring the lives of over a million of its victims.

ALSO READ: Kagame urges Rwandans to fight for their dignified lives

The event was held at the President Hotel in Moscow and attended by government officials, members of the diplomatic corps and friends of Rwanda. It began with a walk through a curated exhibition titled "From Genocide to Rebirth,” which depicted Rwanda’s tragic past and its extraordinary journey of unity, reconciliation, and development. The ceremony proceeded with candle lighting symbolizing hope and resilience, a moment of silence to honour the victims of the Genocide, wreath laying, and the screening of a documentary titled "Rwanda: From Despair to Hope.”

In his remarks, the acting Charge d’Affaires of the embassy of Rwanda to Russia, Eric Rubayita, recalled that the Genocide, which resulted in the loss of over one million Tutsi, was not a sudden occurrence but the culmination of decades-long, ethnic-based hate and ideology of division.

He noted that this ideology was instigated, taught and spread since the colonial period in Rwanda by mainly the colonial administrations, and emulated by the initial political parties that led Rwanda and built their policies on ethnic division and hatred against the Tutsi.

He stressed that unpunished killings and massacres of the Tutsi between 1959-1963 were done under the supervision of Belgian military officers mandated by the Belgian Administration. He reminded guests of the damaging role played by Belgium in supporting the political leaders of the first and second republics that systematically planned and executed, killings, massacres of the Tutsi and the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi.

ALSO READ: No country in the world has spent 109 years destroying another like Belgium has done to Rwanda

Rubayita highlighted the immense challenges faced by survivors, who were forced to live alongside those responsible for the atrocities committed in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He noted that despite an unimaginable magnitude of problems the Rwandan society faced after the genocide, the government prioritized national unity and reconciliation, as a foundation for rebuilding the country.

He also brought to the attention of the audience the challenges still being faced by the country and the region due to the spread of genocide ideology, particularly in neighbouring countries, and pointed out Belgium’s ongoing support for denialist networks, which continues to undermine Rwanda’s efforts. He called for international solidarity in combating genocide ideology and ensuring the principles of prevention and accountability are upheld.

ALSO READ: Former FDLR deputy president on how genocidal militia was formed

The Charge d’Affaires concluded by quoting President Paul Kagame’s address on April 7, 2024, "Our people will never, and I mean never, be left for dead again.”

In his message, Georgii Yurievich Chepik, the Deputy Director of the Department of African States at the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, emphasized that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi remains "one of the darkest pages in human history” and reaffirmed Russia’s support for ensuring such a tragedy never happens again.

He expressed Russia’s continued commitment to strong Rwanda–Russia relations and to international efforts that reject racial and ethnic hatred.

He further expressed Russia&039;s commitment to timely take international action in response to crises, while also supporting the African principle of "African solutions to African problems."

Chepik highlighted Russia's intention to continue strengthening its partnership with Rwanda, focusing on shared principles of international law, mutual interests, and economic cooperation.

In conclusion, he reiterated condolences to Rwanda and called for global efforts to prevent future atrocities, urging the international community to resist all forms of racial, religious, or ethnic intolerance that fuel violence and bloody conflict in many regions of the world.