Please find below the speech I made on the occasion of the Commemoration of the 20th Anniversary of the #Rwanda Genocide Good morning! Allow me to say a few words in Kinyarwanda Bavandimwe BanyaRwanda n’AbanyaRwanda Kazi Muraho Amakuru Nishimiye kuba hamwe namwe Ethiopia iri hamwe namwe iteka Murakoze! Excellency Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini Zuma, Chairperson of the African Union Commission, Excellency Ambassador Joseph Nsingimana, Ambassador of the Republic of Rwanda to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the African Union and UNECA, Excellency Ambassador Hamadi Meimou, Permanent Representative of the Islamic Republic of Mauritania and Chairperson of the Permanent Representatives Committee Excellency Ambassador Paul Lolo, Permanent Representative of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairperson of the Peace and Security Council of the African Union, Excellency Mrs. Aisha Abdullahi, Commissioner for Political Affairs, Excellencies, Distinguished Guests, Members of the Rwandan Community in Ethiopia, Ladies and Gentlemen, Today, we join our Rwandan brothers and sisters in commemorating the 20th Anniversary of the Rwanda Genocide - one of the darkest chapters in the history of humanity. In those fateful 100 days in 1994, the world stood by and watched while close to a million people were mercilessly massacred. What happened was not only tragic but also incomprehensible in the sense that brothers and sisters were pitted against each other on the basis of a fictitious difference largely concocted by colonial rulers for the purpose of sustaining their egregious rules. But what was even more appalling was that we all failed and failed miserably in preventing this humanitarian catastrophe on a massive scale. This is a time to remember those who perished and stand in solidarity with the survivors. It is also a moment of reflection on what has been done over the past twenty years to prevent such atrocities and renew our commitment to fight genocide and other crimes against humanity. This is all the more important in light of the new and emerging challenges that we face in our continent. In this regard, the situation in Central African Republic and South Sudan speaks to mind. It is incumbent upon all of us to do everything we can to avert another humanitarian catastrophe in those two sisterly countries. Unlike twenty years ago, we have our normative and institutional frameworks to respond to such crises situations and we have, time and again, reaffirmed our political will and commitment to effectively utilize them. However, we certainly need the support of the international community based on the principle of ownership and partnership. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, In the aftermath of the genocide, Rwanda was completely ruined and the future of the country was bleak. No one could have imagined that Rwanda will come out from the ashes and rebuild itself. But it took the resolve and dedication of a visionary leadership and a resilient people to leave the debilitating legacy of the genocide and embrace a new, vibrant and united Rwanda. This has been and will continue to be the silver lining in the cloud that this solemn commemoration would conjure up in our minds. For anyone who visits Rwanda, the contrast between those dark days and what meets the eye today is nothing short of a miracle. What were killing fields twenty years ago have now turned into rehabilitated farms and hamlets in which people successfully fight against poverty. I was there myself in the beginning of this week and a cursory glance at the capital Kigali and the transformation it has gone through in a span of barely two decades is testament to the resolve of the government and the people of Rwanda to never relapse into that madness again. But most importantly, it is a tremendous success of the leadership in steering the country away from animosity and revenge into peace and development. Today, Rwanda is not a basket case where differences are exploited in order to justify the perpetuation of senseless violence; it is a country that is busy fighting poverty and registering significant progress in this herculean struggle. The people and government of Rwanda deserve all the praise for achieving such an astounding success against all odds. Excellencies, Ladies and gentlemen, I believe Rwandas story has implications that go far beyond the country and resonate throughout the world. For one thing it serves as a reminder that it is not by stocking more violence and stirring emotions that true healing can be achieved. It takes leadership and commitment to relegate past artificial differences to the backwaters of history and embrace a common future and a common destiny. Also at the level of the international community—and more particularly at the level of our continent—there is a growing realization that home grown solutions are proving their calibre and there is little illusion that one-size-fits-all prescriptions from half way across the world can do wonders. As we commemorate the Rwanda genocide today, the most important lesson is how this country has achieved so much in such a short period of time. It is a good example of how visionary leadership, people’s unflinching commitment and willingness not to forget but to forgive have worked in favour of peace rather than conflict, harmony rather than division and development rather than senseless violence. Finally, in the spirit of this years commemoration, let us remember the many lives lost, unite to show solidarity with the survivors and renew our commitment to prevent genocide from happening ever again in our continent and indeed the whole world. Never again! Murakoze! I thank you
Posted on: Mon, 14 Apr 2014 13:04:16 +0000
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