Residents of Rubavu District on Thursday joined leaders and various institutions to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi at the Commune Rouge Genocide Memorial, a site that bears historical significance as one of the mass killing locations during 1994.
During the commemoration, Senate President François Xavier Kalinda urged residents to remain united and vigilant, warning against the continued spread of genocide ideology from across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
He noted that some perpetrators and planners of the Genocide against the Tutsi fled to DR Congo in 1994, where they regrouped in armed formations, including the FDLR, which he said continues to propagate divisive ideology and destabilise the region.
“Residents of Rubavu and the entire Western Province are urged to strengthen efforts to counter genocide ideology coming from across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo, where perpetrators of the Genocide against the Tutsi found refuge and later reorganised under the FDLR,” he said.
Kalinda also commended citizens who engage with relatives in eastern DR Congo to encourage their return to Rwanda, noting that the government remains committed to ensuring the safe return and reintegration of all Rwandans abroad.
He emphasised that safeguarding unity and rejecting divisive ideology remain essential pillars for sustaining peace and national cohesion.
