President Kagame joined thousands of young people in the walk to remember and later the night vigil at BK Arena, as part of Kwibuka 31.
Survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi have come out to condemn the persistent genocide ideology in the Great Lakes Region, which they say is the continuation of the same ideology that led to the death of more than one million lives in Rwanda, thirty one years ago, and still manifests itself in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the FDLR militia remains active and intent on accomplishing what it started.
This was the message at the Kwibuka 31 Night Vigil, a night to remember, which was held at the BK Arena on Monday, as part of the 31st Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
President Paul Kagame, senior officials including the Prime Minister, Dr. Edouard Ngirente and other dignitaries joined thousands of young people in the walk to remember, which preceded the night vigil, concluding at the BK Arena, where candles were lit, in memory of those the country lost.
It was a sombre evening, characterised by a testimony by Liliane Murangwayire, a genocide survivor, whose harrowing story reignited pangs of pain and trauma, as many genocide survivors and those who were not there at the time, reimagined the danger she faced but at the same time were inspired by her sheer resilience to overcome and survive, despite her tender age.
Kwibuka 31 Night Vigil was preceded by a walk to remember.
In his message of the evening, Philbert Gakwenzire, the president of Ibuka, the umbrella organisation of Genocide survivors, said that thirty one years on, those who survived the massacres continue to thrive and live, thanking the government for its efforts to ensure their wellbeing and protection over the past three decades or so.
Gakwenzire said however that the genocide ideology that led to the tragedy Rwanda faced in 1994 and the years before, when it was being propagated, remains alive and active, citing the continued existence of the FDLR in DRC, a genocidal militia composed of perpetrators of the genocide in Rwanda and their offspring, as an example.
