President Paul Kagame on Thursday joined Rwandans and friends of Rwanda to mark the 28th commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsis, at the Kigali Memorial where over 250,000 victims of the 100-day massacre were laid to rest.
Kagame who was flanked by the first lady Jeannette Kagame laid a wreath and lit the Flame of Remembrance in honour of over one million victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.
It is expected that the national mourning will last until April 13 while commemoration activities will go on until July 3.
From April 8 to 10, places of worship will disseminate messages regarding the country’s history that culminated into the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis.
On April 10, experts and academicians will discuss the role of the media in the genocide against the Tutsi and the rebuilding Rwandan community in the genocide aftermath, according to the calendar.
April 11 will be dedicated to remembering the Tutsi victims who were killed on the same day after being abandoned by the UN peacekeepers in the former Kicukiro technical school (Eto Kicukiro).
The same day is used to reflect on indifference by the international community to the plight of Rwandans during the 100-day massacre.
The genocide saw hardline members of Rwanda’s Hutu ethnic group target Tutsis and moderate Hutus over a period of about three months.
The killings began after a plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimana and his Burundian counterpart, Cyprien Ntaryamira, was shot down over the Rwandan capital, Kigali, on April 6.
More than one million people are believed to have died in the massacres, which were also carried out by members of the armed forces.
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CU/as/APA