Nduhungirehe urges action against hate, stresses genocide is preventable

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Olivier Nduhungirehe, has urged the international community to remain vigilant against hatred, warning that genocide is never accidental but the result of series of deliberate actions and can be prevented if confronted early. He said this on January 27 during the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, marking the 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest Nazi concentration and extermination camp. The comemoration event in Rwanda was held at the Kigali Genocide Memorial. ALSO READ: Holocaust: Minister Bizimana calls out UN on failures to address Genocide ideologies, perpetrators Orchestrated by Nazi Germany during the Second World War (1939–1945), the Holocaust resulted in the murder of over six million Jews, approximately two-thirds of the Jewish population in Europe at the time. “Genocide does not just happen. It is a carefully executed process that unfolds through identifiable stages; classification, discrimination, dehumanisation, before culminating in mass violence. Understanding this process is essential to preventing it,” the minister said. Drawing parallels with the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Nduhungirehe said Rwanda approaches Holocaust remembrance not only as a member of the international community, but as a nation that experienced genocide first-hand. In the same spirit, the minister strongly condemned the rise of antisemitism and violence against Jewish communities worldwide, saying that growing polarisation, disinformation, and discrimination have made the lessons of history more urgent than ever. Closer to home, he drew participants to events happening in eastern DR Congo, saying that that the systematic targeting of certain communities whose plight seems to get little attention from the international community. “Today, we continue to witness conflicts and the targeting of communities based on their identity. “For instance, I'm here 200 kilometers away from this memorial, in DR Congo, a group of people are currently victims of hate speech and persecution, only for who they are,” he added. ALSO READ: Nduhungirehe presses UN to respond to genocide warnings in DR Congo He called on the international community to speak out collectively against persecution-driven ideologies that signal the risk of genocide. “This requires strong multilateral cooperation, robust education systems and unwavering support for international mechanisms that promote justice and accountability, the failure of which will undoubtedly lead to more crimes of this nature,” he said. Similarly, Einat Weiss, Israel’s Ambassador to Rwanda said that the Holocaust did not begin in gas chambers but with words, lies, and exclusion. “The Holocaust did not begin with murder. It began with hatred, with lies, with antisemitism that humiliated Jews, portrayed them as threats, and stripped them of dignity long before their lives were taken,” she said. Despite the Holocaust leading the international community to create legal frameworks to prevent and prosecute genocide and mass atrocities, antisemitism continues remains prevalent. The ambassador noted that there is deep concern over the global rise of antisemitism, particularly among younger generations. “In recent years, we have witnessed a troubling explosion of antisemitism around the world, on the streets, on campuses, and online. Holocaust denial and distortion are spreading, especially among those who did not grow up with survivors,” she said. ALSO READ: Holocaust Memorial Day 2024: The fragility of freedom Heike Uta Dettmann, the German Ambassador to Rwanda, stressed that Germany remains committed to confronting antisemitism, describing it as a continuous and collective responsibility. “We are seeing antisemitism rise to frightening heights, not only in Germany, but internationally,” she said. “This is shameful.” Dettmann noted that the responsibility of remembrance does not end with Holocaust survivors but must be carried forward by future generations. Ozonia Ojielo, the United Nations Resident Coordinator in Rwanda noted that the Holocaust occurred as a result of a dangerous combination of extremist ideology, political collapse, institutional power, and the failure of moral and legal safeguards. “This should stand as a warning of how genocide can emerge when hatred is normalised, authority goes unchecked, and human dignity is denied,” he said. He also emphasised the importance of educating young people, saying remembrance is one of the strongest tools against the repetition of history. “Memory is our best shield against the future. Young people must be empowered with knowledge, empathy, and critical thinking so they can understand why these atrocities happened and help build a different world.”

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Nduhungirehe urges action against hate, stresses genocide is preventable