The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) has urged the public to ensure unity and abstain from divisionism. The call comes as Rwanda and the rest of the world prepare to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that claimed one million people in 100 days. This year’s commemoration, the 27th of its kind, will begin on Wednesday, April 7. According to Fidèle Ndayisaba, the Executive Secretary of NURC, it is everyone’s duty to ensure that the genocide does not happen again, and do so by avoiding anything that contradicts unity. “As we prepare for the 27th commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, we remind Rwandans that commemorating while ensuring that genocide never happens again is one of the key pillars in the process towards unity and reconciliation. During these times, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda are encouraged to fight against genocide ideology and related crimes, he said. Statistics by the Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB) show that the trend of genocide ideology and related crimes has slightly reduced over the last four years. In 2020, the investigation body received 530 cases of genocide denial and related crimes, a slight decrease compared to 537 in 2019 and 542 in 2018. In 2017, a total of 497 cases of genocide denial and related crimes were reported to RIB. Normally, such crimes are prevalent during the commemoration period. Meanwhile, the commission also emphasized the need be close to the survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi during the time of commemoration.
