Rwandans residing in Uganda, along with allies and a delegation from Rwanda, commemorated the 30th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi at the Ggolo Genocide Memorial Site in Mpigi District.
The event, attended by various dignitaries, including diplomatic representatives, featured the Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs, Huda Abason Oleru, as the guest of honor.
The Ggolo Genocide Memorial Site, serving as the final resting place for 4,771 victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, was noted to have received victims washed into Uganda by tributaries of Lake Victoria, such as the Kagera and River Nyabarongo, before being discarded by perpetrators.
Alongside Ggolo, Uganda hosts two other memorial sites: Kasensero in Rakai district and Lambu in Masaka.
During the ceremony, the Rwandan High Commissioner to Uganda, Joseph Rutabana, emphasized the importance of accurately portraying the 1994 genocide, urging the international community to combat the distortion of facts surrounding the tragic period.
Rutabana further emphasized that presenting an inaccurate narrative of the 1994 genocide provides perpetrators with an opportunity to advance their agenda of denial.
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Huda Abason Oleru the Minister of State for Defence and Veteran Affairs highlighted the significance of commemorating this period as a reminder for the world to remain vigilant against genocidal-related agendas.
A testimony from one of the survivors, Marie Solange, shed light on the atrocities endured during the 100-day genocide.
The genocide targeting the Tutsi in Rwanda commenced on the night of April 6th, 1994, lasting for 100 days, during which over a million innocent individuals, including children, women, youth, and the elderly, were brutally exterminated for their ethnicity.
The Rwandan Patriotic Army, under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, intervened in the conflict against the genocidal government, successfully ending the violence and rescuing survivors. Many victims’ remains were disposed of in rivers, including the Nyabarongo and Akagera rivers, tributaries of Lake Victoria, where the current carried thousands of bodies upstream within weeks.
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