At the closing of 29th commemoration week on Thursday, April 13, officials paid homage to politicians killed during the Genocide against the Tutsi and called for non-divisive politics. Held at Rebero Genocide Memorial, the commemorative ceremony was attended by Senate President François-Xavier Kalinda, Prime Minister Edouard Ngirente, the army and police chiefs as well as families of the fallen politicians and other government officials. “The politicians we remember today were killed because they opposed ethnic politics and fought against genocide ideology. We honour their exemplary decision to distance themselves from the evil and fight injustices among Rwandans,” Kalinda said. ALSO READ: Kwibuka 29: There is no hiding place from facts of our history – Kagame He paid tribute to the RPF/A-Inkotanyi led by President Paul Kagame who stopped the Genocide and ushered in an era of good governance based on non-divisive politics, national unity and consensus democracy. Despite the gains made since 1994, Kalinda said, the denial of the Genocide against the Tutsi and genocide ideology threaten national unity. “The terrorist group FDLR continues to spread the ideology of genocide and has never abandoned its plan to execute genocide in Rwanda,” he said. “We shall never forget the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi in order for us to remain united and ready to fight the ideology of genocide.” ALSO READ: Rwanda again asks UK to see justice served on Genocide suspects The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean Damascene Bizimana, noted that the politicians remembered opposed divisive politics and were killed for their convictions. “We will always honour the politicians who were killed in the Genocide against the Tutsi. Had we had many politicians brave enough to oppose the politics of hate, Hutu Power extremists would not have had the ability to kill more than one million Tutsi across the country,” he said. Bizimana stated that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was a result of more than three decades of the ethnic politics that characterized Rwanda decades ago. Political parties, like PARMEHUTU and MRND were founded along ethnic lines, and politicians promoted discriminatory policies. “No post-Genocide politician should play with that history and try to take us back into it,” Bizimana said. ALSO READ: Former UN staff killed in Genocide remembered Elisabeth Mukamana, the spokesperson of the National Forum of Political Organizations, called on members of political parties, especially the youth, to promote unity and non-divisive politics. “Today’s politicians have the responsibility to teach our party members and Rwandans in general to live in harmony by holding on to our unity and be exemplary in everything we do,” Mukamana said. The Memorial in Rebero is the resting place for more than 11,000 Genocide victims and the politicians who were killed for opposing the genocidal plan. Genocide commemoration activities will continue for 100 days until July 3, the eve of Liberation Day. In July 1994, the RPA stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi and liberated Rwanda, putting an end to the era of divisive politics that plunged the country into one of the worst tragedies in history.
