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| Rwanda’s president Paul Kagame and his wife Jeannette Kagame light the flame of remembrance at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali, Rwanda Thursday, April 7. – Muhizi Olivier/ 2022 The Associated Press |
28 years ago, the civil war in Rwanda erupted. A conflict that caused the death of more than 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus in just 100 days.
This year, the African Union chose the theme ‘Remember-Unite-Renew’ and reaffirmed its commitment to prevent and fight genocide on the Continent.
On April 7, the president of Rwanda Paul Kagame, lit the remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 250,000 victims rest. National mourning will last until April 13 while commemoration activities will go on until July 3. They will be lasting 100 days, the lenght of the conflict back in 1994.
This civil war started a day after a mysterious plane crash claimed the lives of the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi. For over two decades, historians, local and international judicial investigators worked on the conflict and nonethelsse, the extent and circumstances of this accident and the following massacres continue to raise questions.Especially among those who escaped and outlived the genocide.
Belgium and especially France have been singled out for their friendship with the Hutu extremist regime who butchered the Tutsis and moderate Hutus. In 2021, President Emmanuel Macron said France “had a role, a history and some political responsibility” a first among French leaders. However, Macron did not say France did not have an active role in what is considered one of the biggest killings of the twentieth century.
