EAC considers annual regional commemoration for 1994 Rwanda genocide
President of Rwanda Paul Kagame and his wife Jeannette Kagame light a remembrance flame surrounded by heads of state and other dignitaries as part of the commemorations of the 30th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Kigali on April 7, 2024.
What you need to know:
- EAC leaders had previously erected a genocide monument in the EAC gardens at its Arusha headquarters in Tanzania, honoring the memory of the genocide victims.
The East African Community (EAC) is exploring the possibility of establishing an annual commemoration for the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, slated for April 7th each year, as an official EAC Day, the regional bloc revealed in a statement on Tuesday.
According to the statement, EAC Deputy Secretary General Andrea Aguer Ariik Malueth made this pledge during the recent genocide commemoration ceremony on Sunday.
Malueth affirmed that a formal request would soon be presented to the EAC Council of Ministers for consideration, underscoring the EAC's determination to take a leading role in preventing the recurrence of such atrocities anywhere in the region.
In a show of solidarity with Rwanda's government and people, the EAC leaders had previously erected a genocide monument in the EAC gardens at its Arusha headquarters in Tanzania, honoring the memory of the genocide victims.
"We are gearing up to devise strategies aimed at eradicating the scourge of genocide from our region, fostering discussions, and engaging in reflections on the perils of genocide ideology and its denial," said Malueth.
He commended Rwanda for its remarkable progress, surpassing expectations and turning the unimaginable into reality, with unity and reconciliation being achieved at a remarkably significant level.
The genocide, perpetrated by Hutu extremists against mostly Tutsi individuals and moderate Hutus, claimed the lives of about 1 million people within a 100-day massacre in 1994.
