A Moroccan delegation representing King Mohammed VI participated in a commemoration ceremony held in Kigali on Sunday, to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide committed against the Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994, according to a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement.
In 1994, Hutu extremists and Interahamwe militias perpetrated a violent ethnic cleansing in Rwanda, slaughtering over 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis and moderate Hutus, in just a few months.
The atrocities ended in July that year when the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by President Paul Kagame, seized control of the country.
Yesterday, Rwandan President Paul Kagame, inaugurated a week of national mourning with several Heads of State and representatives from regional and international organizations.
He paid tribute to the over 250,000 genocide victims at the Gisozi memorial in the Rwandan capital.
Following a minute of silence in memory of the victims, Kagame declared a 100-day national mourning period, signifying a “Flame of Hope,” that will be blazing from April 7 to July 15, symbolizing the duration of the 1994 genocide.
In an address, the President stated that commemorating this painful anniversary not only honors the victims’ memories but also proudly displays Rwanda’s accomplishments through choices made for the sake of reconciliation and national progress.
“Rwandans, who have overcome fear, cannot face anything worse than what they experienced during this tragedy,” Kagame said. He reaffirmed the country’s readiness to conquer any challenge and resist any attempt to regress or divide its people.
He commended the delegations for their solidarity with Rwanda as it commemorates the “painful event.”