Rwanda Pays Tribute to 1994 Genocide Victims

On Sunday, Rwanda paid tribute to genocide victims, 30 years after the country suffered one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century which claimed the lives of 800,000 people, largely Tutsis but also moderate Hutus.

The bloodbath lasted 100 days before the Rwandan Patriotic Front, RPF, rebel militia under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, took Kigali in July 1994. 

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In keeping with tradition, the ceremonies on April 7, the day Hutu militias unleashed the carnage in 1994, began with Prersident Kagame lighting a remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 250,000 victims are believed to be buried.

French President Emmanuel Macron, who was not present at the ceremonies, said on Sunday that France, its Western and African allies could have prevented the massacre, which killed around 800,000 people, stressing that there was a lack of will to do so.