Former South African president Thabo Mbeki has confirmed his attendance at the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. In an interview with the South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) on Wednesday, March 13, Mbeki emphasised that commemoration is significant and a lesson for all Africans. ALSO READ: ‘Time is against us’: French prosecutor on bringing Genocide fugitives to book “Certainly, I will attend the commemoration of the Genocide in Rwanda. President Kagame has extended an invitation. I have been participating in commemorating because I believe the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda was a significant tragedy. It serves as an important lesson for all of us as Africans, and I think it is crucial to revisit it to ensure such an atrocity never occurs again.” “We must address the conditions that exist in all our countries that could lead to such events. The concept of unity within diversity is essential. We need to manage our diversity effectively to prevent it from resulting in situations where people kill one another,” he said. ALSO READ: How Genocide fugitive Kayishema changed identity to elude capture Thabo Mvuyelwa Mbeki, who served as South Africa's second president from 1999 to 2008, stepped down at the request of his party, the African National Congress (ANC). Prior to his presidency, Mbeki held the position of deputy president under Nelson Mandela from 1994 to 1999. In 2008, Mbeki acknowledged the failure of his government to intervene during the Genocide against Tutsi in 1994, expressing regret for their inaction. He admitted culpability for not taking action to prevent the atrocities, despite the ANC's protests against arms deals with the then Rwandan government. ALSO READ: Southern Africa should sustain momentum on genocide fugitives Mbeki further explained that the ANC, while in opposition in 1994, had raised objections to South Africa's arms and military agreements with the government of Juvenal Habyarimana. Despite these protests, the South African government, led by Fredrick De Klerk at the time, maintained that the arms sales were routine business dealings, disregarding concerns about their potential role in the tragic mass murders of civilians.
