RUSAGARA MUVUNANKIKO Valens
Madam Jeannette Kagame, who also serves as the Chairperson of Unity Club Intwararumuri, said that after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Rwandans made a deliberate choice to unite and rebuild their country.
She made the remarks on Friday while opening a symposium on the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi and the struggle to stop it. The event brought together about 500 members of Unity Club Intwararumuri and invited guests at the Parliament Building in Kigali.
In her speech, Jeannette Kagame emphasized that commemorating the Genocide against the Tutsi should also involve honoring the liberation struggle and those who played a role in stopping the killings.
“Our loved ones we lost and our soldiers who sacrificed themselves remain forever in our hearts. We have a strong commitment to protect and preserve the Rwanda they did not live to see,” she said.
She praised the former Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA-Inkotanyi) for taking the courageous decision to stop the genocide and liberate the country, describing their actions as a reminder that Rwandans must continue to rely on themselves in safeguarding their nation.
“There is nothing we can offer the Inkotanyi who accepted to confront all those challenges and defeated them except our endless gratitude. To many people, it seemed impossible for Rwanda to rise again after the destruction the country had gone through. Thank you, Inkotanyi,” she said.
Jeannette Kagame also urged leaders and all those involved in nation-building to continue strengthening unity among Rwandans, especially at a time when hate speech and division are increasingly being witnessed across different parts of the world and the region.
“As Rwandans, we cannot look at these developments from a distance as if they do not concern us. We know very well where hatred can lead a country,” she noted.
The symposium served as a platform to reflect on Rwanda’s history, honor the role played in stopping the genocide, and reaffirm the importance of unity and resilience in the country’s continued reconstruction journey.
Jeannette Kagame says Rwanda’s recovery after the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was built on unity, resilience and the courage to rebuild together.
Speaking at a Unity Club Intwararumuri symposium, Jeannette Kagame urged Rwandans to continue protecting national unity and rejecting hate speech.
We know where hatred can lead a country,” Jeannette Kagame said while honoring those who stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi and rebuilt Rwanda.
Muhire Obed
