As Rwanda prepares to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, the Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to the United States, Dr Mathilde Mukantabana, has called on Africans to learn from the nation’s history and end conflicts on the continent.
The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, occurred between April 7 and July 15, 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of about 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu militias.
Some 200,000 Hutu, spurred on by propaganda from various media outlets, participated in the genocide. More than 800,000 civilians—primarily Tutsi, were killed during the campaign. As many as two million Rwandans fled the country during or immediately after the genocide.
Moderate Hutus and others who opposed the killings were also killed during that period. In 2003, the United Nations General Assembly officially proclaimed April 7 the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda.
On April 7, UNESCO will hold a ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the genocide at UNESCO headquarters. Also, the U.S. Congress will hold a commemorative event and honour the many victims and survivors of the genocide.
Speaking to The Guardian on the sidelines of the just concluded African Diaspora Investment Symposium (ADIS24) in Silicon Valley, California, Rwanda’s diplomat in Washington DC, Mukantabana, said it is time for Africa to learn from Rwanda’s history.
“The commemoration is for us to remember where we are coming from, where we are now and make efforts to unite the country because we can’t achieve anything without unity.”
Quoting a Rwandan proverb – ‘Whatever comes from neighbours come after the ruin is done’ – to drive home lessons from the genocide, she said: “Africans have to find African solutions to their problems, especially ending conflicts on the continent and living in peace with each other.’’
“We don’t have to exact revenge for any wrong done. On keeping the peace, no one will do it for us. We have to resolve our conflicts ourselves. Other people will bring their own solutions that are not adapted to the local solutions and once they come in, they can complicate the conflict. This is why it is very important to find a common front in the midst of our differences as we disagree to agree without waiting for the outside world to do it for us.”
