Rwanda commemorates 26th anniversary of 1994 genocide with low key ceremony over COVID-19 concern

Source: Xinhua| 2020-04-07 22:09:57|Editor: xuxin
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RWANDA-KIGALI-GENOCIDE-LOW KEY CEREMONY

Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, president Ibuka, an umbrella body of genocide survivors' associations of Rwanda, lays the wreath at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis, in Kigali, capital city of Rwanda, on April 7, 2020. Rwandans on Tuesday started the commemoration to mark the 26th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis with a low key ceremony at Kigali genocide memorial site as part of preventive measures to contain COVID-19 outbreak in the country. Rwandan president Paul Kagame and first lady Jeannette Kagame and other dignitaries laid wreaths at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide, in the capita city Kigali. (Kigali Genocide Memorial/Handout via Xinhua)

KIGALI, April 7 (Xinhua) -- Rwandans on Tuesday started the commemoration to mark the 26th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis with a low key ceremony at Kigali genocide memorial site as part of preventive measures to contain COVID-19 outbreak in the country.

Rwandan president Paul Kagame and first lady Jeannette Kagame and other dignitaries laid wreaths at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the genocide, in the capita city Kigali.

Later, Kagame, and first lady jointly lit the flame of remembrance at the memorial which will burn for 100 days until July 4, the date when the genocide was stopped by the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), now Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF).

"As we join together to remember for the 26th time, as we have always and will continue to do, I thank you for participating in these unusual measures that are necessary to combat the COVID-19 pandemic in Rwanda and around the world," said Kagame earlier in a televised message.

He added that this year's commemoration for survivors and families and for the country is not an easy thing to do, because Rwandans cannot be together physically to comfort one another.

"But the current unusual circumstances will not prevent us from fulfilling our obligation to commemorate and console survivors. The only change is the way we commemorate," said Kagame.

According to him, Rwandans are used to coming together in solidarity and collective strength through national ceremonies and activities such as walk to remember, night vigils and group discussions in our communities.

"Today, we pause to reflect on the tragedy we experienced and what we lost both individually and as a nation," said Kagame.

"We will continue to educate our generations of Rwandans about what happened in our country and what we have learned from it," he added.

Due to COVID-19 outbreak in Rwanda, and the current lockdown, there were no gatherings, speeches, and survivors' testimonies during this years' launch of the genocide commemoration mourning week at the Kigali memorial site.

There was only a brief ceremony that involved the laying of wreaths, bowing in silence to pay respects to more than 1 million people killed during genocide, and lighting of flame of remembrance.

The brief event attracted a limited number of people including few goverment officials, United Nations representatives and Ibuka, an umbrella association of Rwanda genocide survivors representative.

"This year's commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi will be observed from our homes as we battle to contain the spread of COVID-19 outbreak in our country," Jean-Pierre Dusingizemungu, president of Ibuka, told Xinhua in a telephone interview.

He said that Rwandans will follow all genocide commemoration ceremonies and discussions from their homes on different media platforms.

Genocide survivors will remember and mourn their loved ones from their homes, added Dusinginzemungu.

Rwandans in the countryside will not gather for ceremonies marking the 26th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi on April 7, a government body, National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) said last week.

According CNLG, remembrance ceremony for Rwandan politicians killed in the genocide, which normally takes place on April 13, at Rebero memorial site in Kicukiro district, to mark the end of the mourning week has been cancelled.

The cancellation was in line with a COVID-19 lockdown extended by the cabinet until April 19 to further contain the spread of the virus, according to CNLG.

Other commemoration events that have been suspended include the Walk to Remember, which normally takes place in the afternoon on April 7, and a night vigil, which normally follows the Walk to Remember.

This year's genocide commemoration is observed under the theme "Remember, Unite and Renew."

Throughout the mourning week, the Rwandan flag will be flying at half-mast in honor of the victims.

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