08.04.2025

Rwandas 31st Celebration of Genocide Remembrance

In Kigali's Central Memorial important work of remembrance and healing is carried out, as well as in smaller Memorials throughout Rwanda. Photo by: Susanne Seiler, UEM

7 April 1994- 7 April 2025: Rwanda’s Celebration of the 31^st Genocide Against Tutsi- “Kwibuka 31”.

The three months 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda took place from the night of the 6 April 1994. Due to colonial -fueled ethnic divisions, hatred and strong discrimination started in the year 1959. From the colonial administration and some missionaries, a strong ethnic division was in the government administration since the 1962 independence, where frequent killings and properties destructions of Tutsi people took place between 1964 and 1973, leaving many innocent people dead, others taking refuge mainly in the neighbouring countries to Rwanda: Burundi, the DR Congo, Uganda and Tanzania.

These mass killings of the Tutsi people reached a point to be uncontrolled by the political leaders who were on power until 1994 when the then President Juvenal Habyarimana’s aircraft was shot in the night of the 6^th April 1994, culminating to a mass killing of Tutsi ethnic group people and those of other ethnic groups who were opposing the extremism which was taking place. Sadly, it was noticed the silence of the International Community in the face of such massive killings of the population. It was painful to observe the inactivity of the United Nations soldiers who were not able to stop the killings. Some politicians in 1994 were spreading the hate speech where attacks against Tutsi communities were not stopped by those who were on political power, leading to a killing of an estimated one million innocent people. This terrible dangerous genocide left Rwanda in a situation of massive challenges of losing many people, social infrastructures being destroyed and a great challenge to replace what has been lost in terms of human being and properties.

Kwibuka = “remember” means Resilience, Reconciliation, Renewalfor Rwandese and the International Community

Since July 1994, a Government of National Unity was established, not only after having stopped the killings but also with a goal to promote reconstruction and unity, not an easy task for a country which has been destroyed. Actions of rebuilding, reconciliation and justice took place to ensure the today’s population security and working to recover from all the destructions. It started by encouraging the population to be “one” Rwandans no more based on different ethnic groups as visible positive change in the new Identity Cards, where all native Rwandese are called “Rwandese” and are not being categorized in ethnic groups, as it was introduced in 1933 by the Belgian Colonial Power.

Kwibuka 31 “Remembering” is looking at the past as a learning experience and build a new nation, Rwanda where hatred and divisions have no more their place.

The United Evangelical Mission (UEM) has contributed to the rebuilding of Rwanda through the support to the UEM members in Rwanda, the Presbyterian Church EPR* and the Anglican Church EAR*. One of the visible UEM contributions is a strong intervention in the Gospel promotion in Rwanda, its demonstration and supporting the victims of the 1994 genocide though social work in improving health, education facilities and the general people’s welfare.

Plan to join the UEM Member Churches and community in Rwanda to commemorate the 31st Anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi

This year, 23 April to 05 May 2025, a group of 20 German friends working with the memorial sites in the NRW German region are planning to visit the memorial sites in Rwanda. They will have an exchange with community members  and different Rwandese leaders to understand more how Rwandese have been affected by 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. They will learn about the consequence the whole country faced and efforts made by the government and the church to rebuild the nation as healing process. The Rwanda “Never Again” strategies are thought to be inspiring to take back to the wider communion a message of solidarity to accompany each other in the daily Rwandese and UEM members’ activities.

As Rwandese sisters and brothers, the UEM communion of Churches, 39 members in Africa, Asia and Germany are requested to pray for the  “Kwibuka 31”, praying that God keep the good strategies of people’s peaceful cohabitation to be able to continue the reconstruction of the Rwanda. The celebration of “Kwibuka 31” in Rwanda, is an invitation to remember, it is a call to all nations worldwide that wars are not a solution to any problem, they only leave many innocent people dead, sufferers and destroy what has been achieved by human beings. Building on the Rwandan experience, standing together reminds us that human killings should never be repeated anywhere in the world.

Author: Rev Dr John Wesley Kabango, UEM Africa Executive Secretary

*EAR = Eglise Anglicane au Rwanda (Anglican Church of Rwanda)

*EPR = Eglise Presbyterienne au Rwanda (Presbyterian Church of Rwanda)