‘Never forget’: World remembers 30 years since genocide in Rwanda

(From L) Deputy to the mayor of Paris, Laurence Patrice, President of the “Ibuka France Souviens-toi” organization, Marcel Kabanda, Mayor of Paris, Anne Hidalgo, France’s Secretary of State for Development and International Partnerships, Chrysoula Zacharopoulou, Rwanda’s ambassador to France, Francois Nkulikiyimfura, Mayor of Paris’ 13th arrondissement, Jerome Coumet and French Les Ecologistes green party Member of Parliament Sandrine Rousseau stand at attention amid a minute of silence after a wreath laying during a commemoration ceremony to mark the 30th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwanda genocide, in Paris on April 7, 2024. April 7 marks the 30th Anniversary of a vicious campaign orchestrated by Hutu extremists which tore the country apart, as neighbours turned on each other in one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century. The killing spree, which lasted 100 days before the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel militia took Kigali in July 1994, claimed the lives of around 800,000 people, largely Tutsis but also moderate Hutus. (Photo by Thomas SAMSON / AFP)

Kigali, Rwanda — Rwanda on Sunday marked 30 years since the 1994 genocide that killed more than 800,000 men, women and children, mainly Tutsis but also moderate Hutus.

Here are some of the notable quotes as the tiny African nation commemorated the mass slaughter orchestrated by Hutu extremists targeting the Tutsi minority over 100 bloody days in 1994.

Rwandan President Paul Kagame 

“Rwanda was completely humbled by the magnitude of our loss. And the lessons we learned are engraved in blood.”

“It was the international community which failed all of us, whether from contempt or cowardice.”

US President Joe Biden 

“We will never forget the horrors of those 100 days, the pain and loss suffered by the people of Rwanda, or the shared humanity that connects us all, which hate can never overcome.”

READ: France opens archives on Rwanda genocide

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres 

“This year, we remind ourselves of genocide’s rancid root: hate.

To those who would seek to divide us, we must deliver a clear, unequivocal and urgent message: never again.”

African Union Commission head Moussa Faki Mahamat 

“No one, not even the African Union, can absolve itself of its inaction in the face of the chronicle of a genocide foretold. Let us have the courage to recognise this, and to take responsibility for it.”

Young Rwandans hold flameless candles while taking part on a vigil during the commemorations of the 30th Anniversary of the 1994 Rwandan genocide at the BK Arena in Kigali on April 7, 2024. Rwanda on Sunday paid solemn tribute to genocide victims, 30 years after a vicious campaign orchestrated by Hutu extremists tore apart the country, as neighbours turned on each other in one of the bloodiest massacres of the 20th century. The killing spree, which lasted 100 days before the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) rebel militia took Kigali in July 1994, claimed the lives of around 800,000 people, largely Tutsis but also moderate Hutus. (Photo by LUIS TATO / AFP)

French President Emmanuel Macron 

“We have all abandoned hundreds of thousands of victims to this infernal closed door.

“When the phase of total extermination against the Tutsis began, the international community had the means to know and act.

“France, which could have stopped the genocide with its Western and African allies, did not have the will.”

European Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen 

“Today we mark 30 years since the genocide against the Tutsi. We honour the victims. And we praise Rwanda’s journey from darkness to hope, and from pain to progress. It’s an example for the world.”

UN human rights chief Volker Turk 

“The Rwanda genocide against the Tutsi was a clear reminder: Genocide doesn’t erupt from thin air — it follows years of normalised fear-mongering, hate and dehumanisation.

“Governments must do everything in their power to combat hate, discrimination and other root causes before it’s too late.”

President of genocide survivors group Ibuka, Philibert Gakwenzire 

“Genocide is caused by bad politics based on creating divisions based on ethnic, religious and other differences, and we see such things happening across the world.

“When xenophobia and hate speech is tolerated by governments, it can reach a level where they have genocide can happen again. Macron said the truth, there was no political will to stop the genocide by the international community. They had the means but had no interest in stopping it.”

Human Rights Watch executive director Tirana Hassan 

“The genocide in Rwanda remains a stain on our collective conscience and, 30 years later, lessons can still be drawn from the actions -– or lack thereof -– of world leaders in the face of ongoing atrocities.”

UN special adviser on the prevention of genocide Alice Wairimu Nderitu 

“One should never lose sight that for people who experienced genocide, the warning signs were there.”

East African Community 

“As we commemorate a 30th time, it is important to reaffirm the fundamental truth that we are all created equal, and we have certain undeniable rights that include the right to life and no one has the right to take it away as it was done 30 years ago.”