Canadian lawmaker, Ariella Kayabaga, has paid tribute to victims and saluted the resilience of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi during a parliamentary session that took place on April 7. Kayabaga was born in Burundi. The Member of Parliament for London West said this as the rest of the world joined Rwanda to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi that claimed more than a million lives for the 28th time. In her address, she said; “for Rwandans watching this today…I want you to know that the world sees you and the world recognizes your resilience and your willingness to rebuild and walk the path of reconciliation. She commended the survivors whom she said that against all odds, chose healing and reconciliation. It is our job as leaders to carry the never again words in our actions to ensure that the next generation of Rwandans, of the Tutsi across the world do not have to face another moment to invoke these words, she said. “On behalf of all Rwandans, on behalf of children of families, including my own, who have been forever changed by what happened during the cold nights of April 1994, I say to you ‘Never Again’.” Kayabaga went on to ask the speaker and the rest of the MPs to observe a moment of silence for the voices that will never speak again. “Let us commit to never sit in silence and to always use our voices and actions to fight hatred and discrimination of all kinds, Twibuke Twiyubaka,” she added. The 28th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi is happening at a time when Kigali is pursuing genocide suspects 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.
