President Paul Kagame of Rwanda marked the 30th anniversary of the 1994 genocide by criticizing the international community for failing Rwanda, where about 800,000 people were killed. He spoke in Kigali, Rwanda's capital, during a gathering of dignitaries and world leaders commemorating the bloodshed. Kagame emphasized that Rwanda was deeply humbled by the scale of its loss and stressed that the lessons learned from the genocide are unforgettable.
The genocide began on this day in 1994 when extremists from the Hutu ethnic group went on a 100-day killing spree, targeting Tutsi minority members and moderate Hutus. Following the genocide, mainly Tutsi forces took power, and there were allegations that they retaliated by killing thousands of Hutus in Rwanda.
President Kagame, along with dignitaries, laid wreaths on mass graves at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where over 250,000 victims are believed to be buried. He also lit a remembrance flame and expressed gratitude to African countries like Uganda, Ethiopia, and Tanzania for their assistance in accepting Tutsi refugees and ending the genocide. Kagame specifically thanked the soldiers from these countries who served as peacekeepers in Rwanda, highlighting their role in contrast to the failure of the international community.
The failure of other nations to intervene has been a lasting source of shame. Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who was present among the visiting leaders, has called the genocide the biggest failure of his administration. In a recorded message, French President Emmanuel Macron acknowledged his country's failure to prevent the genocide, stating that France and its allies lacked the will to intervene.
France, under then-president François Mitterrand, was a close ally of the Hutu-led government prior to the killings. Rwanda has accused France of ignoring warning signs and training the militias responsible for the attacks. While France has denied complicity, a report commissioned by Macron concluded that France bears "heavy and overwhelming responsibilities."
The commemoration events in Kigali marked the beginning of a week-long mourning period in Rwanda. The country has imposed bans on music, sports, and films on radio or TV, and national flags are being flown at half-mast. The streets of Kigali have been unusually quiet, with little traffic and many closed shops, reflecting the somber mood of the occasion.
The genocide began following the assassination of Hutu President Juvenal Habyarimana on April 6, 1994, when extremists blamed the Tutsi rebel group and launched a campaign of slaughter. Thousands of Tutsi women were abducted and kept as sex slaves, and after 100 days of violence, the RPF rebel militia led by Kagame overthrew the Hutu authorities, ending the genocide.
Despite the end of the genocide, scars from the violence remain, and new mass graves are still being discovered in Rwanda. The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda was set up in Tanzania to prosecute senior officials in the former regime, most of whom were Hutus, for genocide. Rwanda also established community courts known as gacaca to speed up the prosecution of hundreds of thousands of genocide suspects. According to Rwanda, hundreds of suspects remain at large, including in neighboring nations such as the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
President Kagame has been praised for transforming Rwanda, but critics argue that he does not tolerate dissent, and several opponents have died under mysterious circumstances. The genocide remains a sensitive issue in Rwanda, where it is illegal to discuss ethnicity.
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