Rwanda marks 20 years since genocide
Print Edition
DISPLAYING both pride and pain, Rwandans yesterday marked the 20th anniversary of a 100-day genocide that saw packed churches set on fire and machete-wielding attackers slaughter whole families from a demonized minority.
Bloodcurdling screams and sorrowful wails resounded throughout a packed sports stadium in capital Kigali as world leaders and thousands of Rwandans gathered to hear of healing and hope.
“As we pay tribute to the victims, both the living and those who have passed, we also salute the unbreakable Rwandan spirit in which we owe the survival and renewal of our country,” said President Paul Kagame.
Kagame and UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon together lit a flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre, which estimates that 1,000,050 Rwandans perished in three months of machete and gunfire attacks mostly aimed at the country’s minority Tutsi population by extremist Hutus
Missing from the stadium was the French government, which Rwanda banned. In an interview published in France yesterday, Kagame accused the former African colonial power of participating in some of the genocide violence.
The ceremony highlighted the influence that white colonial masters had in setting the stage for the violence that erupted on April 7, 1994. Stadium-goers watched as white people in colonial outfits jumped out of a safari car and stormed the main stage.
The wide-brim hats then changed to blue berets, the headgear worn by UN troops who did nothing to stop the carnage.
The UN chief said he hopes to reaffirm the international community’s commitment to the idea of “never again,” though he said genocide is still possible. He mentioned violence in the Central African Republic and Syria.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
