KIGALI - A delegation from the African Union and Somalia, who are in the country for a meeting on Enhancing Respect of International Humanitarian Law, visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, yesterday.

The delegation was led by the Somali Minister for Women Affairs and Human Rights, Zahra Samantar and Ambassador Boubacar Diarra, special representative of the chairperson of the AU in Somalia.

Speaking to the media shortly after the visit, Diarra called upon Africa and the world to ensure that Genocide never happens again.

"I am deeply moved by what I saw here and we hope that this never happens again in Africa and in any other part of the world,” Diarra said.

He also advised all those locked in conflict to use Rwanda as a benchmark on how to overcome their problems.

"Through strong leadership, the country has managed not long after the genocide to reconcile all Rwandans and focus on one destiny. It is absolutely a big lesson for all of us,” he said.

On her part, Samantar said that survivors who have managed to forgive those who killed their relatives taught her a big lesson.

"It is unfortunate to see that there are people who died because they belong to a certain tribe and especially the children,” the Minister said, adding that  something similar is happening in her country where children die everyday.

"I see children being killed everyday. We have to pray that this killing stops, we have to learn how to forgive each other and we have to be strong to lift ourselves up.”

The three-day roundtable taking place in Kigali expects to underline the African Union and AMISOM efforts at enhancing the respect of International Humanitarian Law in Somalia among other issues.

MISOM is the AU mission in Somalia.