In the same traditions of past remembrances, this year’s events are underlined by an unspoken but inferred Never Again mantra, serving as a solemn warning against the horrors of the mass killings which was triggered by the assassination of Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu by Tutsi rebels in April 1994.
”Together, let us remember, reflect and reaffirm our commitment to preventing such atrocities in the future” says an EAC statement ahead of the commemoration.
The EAC says the event speaks to the collective responsibility of the international community to combat ideologies that lead to atrocities such as in Rwanda which constitutes an ugly scar on the conscience of the world.
Owning up to this shared responsibility, the United Nations and the African Union in 2014, designated 7th April as a day of remembrance for the genocide which gained notoriety as the most catastrophic event of the second half of the 20th century.
The EAC says it stands in solidarity with Rwanda and the global community to remember its victims and promote a culture of tolerance and peaceful co-existence across East Africa.