The Fifteenth Commemoration of the 1994 Tutsi Genocide in Rwanda

Flikr photo by hoteldephil used under a Creative Commons license.  Today marks 15 years since the plane crash that killed Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana, which precipitated the 1994 Tutsi genocide.  Tomorrow is an international day of remembrance for the over 800,000 victims of the genocide.  In the capital city of Kigali, there will be a commemoration service at Nyanza, where over 5,000 Tutsis were killed after Belgian peacekeepers withdrew.  In Washington DC, the Embassy of Rwanda will be hosting an event on Capitol Hill.  The memory of the genocide weighs heavy around the world, from Eastern Congo and Darfur, to Paris and New York; but it weighs heaviest of all in the memory of the loved ones lost in Rwanda.  Fifteen years is a fraction of a lifetime and for every Rwandan, from widows and ex-combatants, to orphans and those afflicted with HIV/AIDS, the genocide continues to influence the conscience of everyday life.  It is moments like these, looking back, that gives greater moral fortitude to the work of resolving conflict and meeting the humanitarian needs of people in desperate circumstances.  For a moment, strategy, bureaucracy, and lessons learned give way to a greater interest in public service.  The tragedies of the past cannot be undone, but with sound analysis, well-informed decision making, and a commitment to do what is right, these same tragedies do not need to be repeated again. Reka twibuke itsembabwoko kugirango ritazongera kubaho! Ndabakunda mwese kandi ndabakumbuye cyane! Umutima wanjye irikumwe namwe nshuti nzanjye ziri mu Rwanda ndetse no mu mahanga. Reka twese duhagarare hamwe.