Lt Gen (rtd) Romeo Dallaire, the former head of the UN mission in Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial on Friday, August 11. Accompanied by his wife Marie Michaud, Dallaire paid tribute to more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide interred within the memorial's grounds.

During his visit, Dallaire was given guided tour of the memorial, delving into Rwanda's history before, during, and after the Genocide that claimed over one million Tutsi within 100 days.

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In an interview with The New Times, Dallaire underscored the vital importance of the memorial in preserving the nation&039;s past and ensuring that the spirits of the victims are forever remembered. "It's not something that is purely in the past that people say ‘Well we have to have that.’ It is part of this country, it is part of Kigali. If you don't come here, you don't really see Kigali and you really don't feel the spirits that are still in all those mountains, that are trying to be brought together here and remembered here. So, that's why it's important," he emphasized.

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Dallaire&039;s connection to Rwanda's tragedy runs deep, as he was an eyewitness to the horrors that unfolded during the Genocide. His reflections on this visit were marked by admiration for the ongoing improvements in the memorial's historical accuracy and the quality of its exhibits. "What I see every time I come here is a continued improvement of the history, the accuracy of the history, and the quality of the material that’s there. I think it’s continuously encouraging," he shared in an interview with The New Times.

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As Rwanda marked the 29th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi this year, the nation reasserted its commitment to upholding historical truth and combating any form of genocide denial. Dallaire pledged his dedication to enhancing the details and information displayed at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. "We’ll continue to improve the information because that&039;s what you want – as much information as possible," he affirmed.

Dallaire's enduring commitment to preventing the recruitment and use of child soldiers was also highlighted. In 2007, he established the Child Soldiers Initiative, which later evolved into the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security. This institute has since become a global hub for expertise, research, and advocacy aimed at safeguarding children from armed violence.