‘Entire families brutally erased’: Remembering the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda

This article is published in association with United Nations.

Thirty-two years ago, a genocidal campaign was unleashed against Rwanda’s Tutsi minority, resulting in more than one million deaths. On Tuesday, the UN is holding commemorations to ensure that the genocide is never forgotten and never repeated.

Serge Gasore’s childhood is the stuff of nightmares.

He was a young child when the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi began in Rwanda and narrowly escaped death on multiple occasions. His mother was murdered, and he saw his grandmother killed by a grenade attack on a church where Tutsis were hiding.

He spent weeks fleeing from Hutu attackers but couldn’t avoid being drawn into the war: at nine-years-old, he fought with the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) army. 

UN Photo/Manuel Elías

Kwibuka Flame of Hope Tribute to 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda Installed at UN Headquarters.

Eventually, as a young adult, Mr. Gasore was able to leave Rwanda and settle in the United States, where he and his wife founded Rwanda Children, a non-profit organisation dedicated to providing shelter, food, medical care and education to at-risk children in the country.

Mr. Gasore is just one example of the thousands of people rebuilding their lives, over three decades on from the horrific events of 1994, during which more than one million people – overwhelmingly Tutsi, but also Hutu and others who opposed the genocide – were systematically killed in less than three months.

Alongside another survivor, Marcel Mutsindashyaka, who lost 25 members of his family, Mr. Gasore will share his story at a ceremony at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, marking the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Honour ‘stolen dignity’

Ahead of the International Day, commemorated on 7 April, UN Secretary-General António Guterres mourned the victims, including “entire families brutally erased”, and honoured “their stolen dignity.”

In his message, Mr. Guterres paid tribute to survivors like Mr. Gasore, whose resilience, he said, “shows the strength of the human spirit.”

Recalling the international community’s failure to heed warnings and take immediate life-saving action, Mr. Guterres said we must learn from past failures and protect the living “by rejecting hatred, inflammatory rhetoric and incitement to violence.”

Remembrance and education

The 7 April event, along with other commemorations held at UN offices around the world, are coordinated by the Outreach Programme on the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and the United Nations, established by the General Assembly in 2005 to “mobilise civil society for Rwanda genocide victim remembrance and education in order to help prevent future acts of genocide.”

Soundcloud

https://w.soundcloud.com/player/?url=https%3A//api.soundcloud.com/tracks/2298203540&visual=&auto_play=false&hide_related=true&show_artwork=true&show_playcount=false&show_comments=false&show_user=false&show_reposts=false&download=false&buying=false&sharing=false&show_teaser=false&single_active=true&color=%23ff5500

Commemorative ceremony for the International Day of Reflection

• Several senior UN officials will speak at the ceremony, including Annalena Baerbock, President of the General Assembly; Courtenay Rattray, the Secretary-General’s Chef de Cabinet; and Melissa Fleming, Under-Secretary-General for Global Communications.
• Marcel Mutsindashyaka is President of the Ibuka Survivor Association USA, a group that advocates for genocide survivors and organizes remembrance events across the US to honour the victims and educate current and future generations about the genocide against the Tutsi.
• The Rwandan authorities will be represented by Emmanuel Ugirashebuja, Minister of Justice and Attorney General, and Karoli Martin Ngoga, Permanent Representative of Rwanda to the United Nations.
• Watch the ceremony live on UN WebTV from 10AM Eastern Time.