Rwanda is commemorating the 1994 genocide, in which 800,000 people, most of them from the Tutsi ethnic group, were massacred by Hutu militias. But this year the event is marked by tensions over Rwanda’s alleged support of the M23 rebel group in neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo.
Every year, Rwanda marks Kwibuka – “Remembrance” in Kinyarwanda – a sombre 100-day commemoration of the genocide which began on 7 April 1994.
President Paul Kagame is expected to pay his respects at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the site where more than 250,000 victims are believed to be buried. He will deliver a speech and light the flame of remembrance, with foreign dignitaries in attendance.
This year’s anniversary comes as Rwanda faces renewed accusations of backing the Tutsi-led M23 group, currently fighting in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.
Diplomatic tensions
The European Union has imposed sanctions on three senior Rwandan military commanders and the head of Kigali’s state mining agency over the M23 offensive in DRC.
The three commanders lead Rwanda’s special forces and two divisions accused of deploying troops in eastern DR Congo to support the armed group, according to the EU’s official journal.
It added that the decision reflected “Rwanda’s commitment to safeguarding our national interests and the dignity of Rwandans”.
Day of Remembrance
The UN designated 7 April as the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide in 2003.
In Rwanda, the date marks the beginning of a period of national mourning that lasts until 4 July, which is known as Liberation Day. For 100 days, national flags will be flown at half-mast, music is not allowed in public places or on the radio, and sports events and films are banned from TV broadcasts. Bars, clubs and public leisure facilities are closed for at least a week.
The genocide, orchestrated by Hutu extremists against the Tutsi minority, remains one of the darkest episodes of genocidal violence since the Second World War.
It was triggered by the assassination of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana on the night of 6 April, 1994, when his plane was shot down over Kigali by Hutu extremists and the Interahamwe militia.
The killing began the next day and lasted 100 days, taking the lives of 800,000 people. While the majority of victims were Tutsis, moderate Hutus were also murdered.
The international community has been heavily criticised for failing to protect civilians, with the United Nations sharply reducing its peacekeeping force shortly after the outbreak of the violence.
Long-term consequences
Around two-thirds of Rwanda’s population was born after the genocide, and the nation is eager to move on from its painful history.
Since 1994, it has rebuilt itself under Kagame’s iron-fisted rule, but the traumatic legacy of the genocide continues to reverberate across the wider region. Hundreds of thousands of people, mainly ethnic Hutus fearing reprisal attacks, fled to neighbouring countries including the DRC, which has had long-term consequences.
According to the Rwandan authorities, hundreds of genocide suspects remain at large, including in the DRC and Uganda.
For decades, Kagame’s government has been accused of arming Tutsi-led rebels in eastern DRC. It denies these allegations, saying Tutsis in the DRC are, on the contrary, victims of persecution.
(RFI with newswires)
