Rwanda's Minister of Justice Emmanuel Ugirashebuja has called for renewed efforts to bring perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi to justice. ALSO READ: Experts on why genocide ideology continues to spread abroad Speaking at the 32nd commemoration of the Genocide, held at United Nations Headquarters in New York, on Tuesday, April 7, Ugirashebuja noted that Rwandans still had had unanswered questions about why evidence and reports on the planning of the massacres in Rwanda were ignored. It is equally troubling that some countries continue to provide safe haven to genocide suspects, the minister told UN officials, diplomats, and Genocide survivors who gathered in UN General Assembly Hall. Rwanda’s position is clear: Those responsible must either be extradited to Rwanda or prosecuted wherever they are found. Genocide is a crime that transcends borders, and justice must follow suit. https://x.com/RwandaUN/status/2041686283798433796 He described Rwanda’s post-genocide journey as one defined by healing and determination, noting that despite enduring scars, Genocide survivors continue to contribute to the country progress. “The past 32 years have been a journey of strength and resilience. We have made progress, yet much work remains,” he said. He also said Rwanda is still combating denial and distortion of the Genocide that claimed over one million lives in just 100 days. Ugirashebuja stressed that remembrance must go hand in hand with prevention, warning that the conditions that enabled the genocide were built over time through division, propaganda, and dehumanization. “The Genocide against the Tutsi was meticulously planned over several years,” he said, tracing its roots to decades of discriminatory ideologies that portrayed the Tutsi as outsiders and enemies, where children were taught distorted versions of history and discrimination became normalized in schools and communities. ALSO READ: How genocide ideology was built, spread and executed He noted that extremist media such as RTLM and Kangura played a key role in spreading hatred and inciting violence. His remarks come amid rising violence in eastern DR Congo, where the Kinshasa-backed FDLR, a militia founded by perpetrators of the Genocide against the Tutsi, continues to operate alongside a coalition of armed actors, including elements of the Congolese army (FARDC), Burundian forces, mercenaries, Wazalendo militias, and Mai-Mai groups. These forces have been linked to sustained violence and targeted attacks against Congolese Tutsi communities. ALSO READ: Ugirashebuja says violence in DR Congo mirrors pre-1994 situation in Rwanda The minister cautioned that similar patterns are re-emerging, pointing to the persistence of genocidal ideology and the normalization of hate speech targeting Tutsi communities in the neighbouring country and spreading in the region. “Hate speech targeting Tutsi communities is once again being normalized. Public statements echo the rhetoric heard before 1994. This is real and dangerous,” he said. He cited a recent example where the Congolese national television broadcast featured former military spokesperson Sylvain Ekenge, whose remarks singled out Tutsi communities in a manner reminiscent of pre-genocide propaganda. Ekenge called on Congolese men to avoid marrying Tutsi women, language that echoes the dehumanizing narratives that preceded mass violence in Rwanda. “Such targeting of women, casting them as unworthy of marriage or social belonging, has historically been a precursor to ethnic cleansing and mass violence,” Ugirashebuja noted. “These words are not harmless. They echo the rhetoric that fueled the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994 and serve as a warning that hate, if left unchecked, can escalate into atrocities,” he said. ALSO READ: DR Congo: Western group condemns violence against Rwandophones He further warned that denial and distortion of the genocide continue to undermine prevention efforts, particularly in the digital age where disinformation spreads rapidly. “Denial is not an opinion. It is the final stage of genocide. It erases truth, rehabilitates perpetrators, and deepens the wounds of survivors,” he said. ALSO READ: Kwibuka32: Rwanda will not die twice, says Kagame Ugirashebuja urged countries to ensure accountability for genocide suspects. He called on the international community to draw lessons from past genocides and treat commemoration as a call to action. “These commemorations are not merely symbolic. They remind us that hatred, prejudice, and denial are never abstract; they have real human consequences,” he said. “The international community must remain vigilant, recognize early signs of incitement, and take action before history repeats itself.”
