The High Commissioner of Rwanda to Ghana, Dr Aisa Kirabo Kacyira, has appealed to the international community to “stand up for justice” by bringing the planners and perpetrators of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda to book.

The High Commissioner expressed worry that 27 years after the tragic incident, there were many suspected masterminds and perpetrators “who continue to enjoy protection from some governments and powerful institutions.”

“Therefore, dear leaders and members of the international community, Rwanda will continue to count on you to stand up for justice in honour of the memory of the innocent lives lost, bringing the planners and perpetrators of the genocide to book, and uniting the fight against the denial, revision and trivialisation of the genocide against the Tutsi,” she said.

Commemoration

Dr Kacyira was speaking at a ceremony in Accra last Saturday (May 22) to commemorate the 27th anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

Organised by the Rwanda High Commission in Ghana, in collaboration with the Rwanda Community in Ghana, Benin, Cote d’Ivoire, Liberia, and Sierra Leone, the event was on the theme: “Remember, Unite, and Renew.”

Dubbed : Kwibuka 27, the event offered a platform to honour the lives of the over a million lives that were lost and renew commitment towards the prevention of any form of genocide in any part of the world.

Solemn ceremony

The solemn ceremony was characterised by candle lighting, which signified hope and resilience of Rwanda, solidarity messages, and accounts of survivors who escaped death throughout the 100 days of brutal killings.

In attendance were members of the Diplomatic Corps, government officials, sympathisers, and members of the Rwandan community in Ghana.

Distorting the facts

Dr Kacyira said the genocide against the Tutsi was not a reactive event as claimed by some “distortionists” but rather a culmination of decades of “hate propaganda” and targeted killings that were well planned and executed.

“Telling the truth about the genocide offers us, among other things, an opportunity to honour and uphold the resilient human spirit of Rwandans and the contributions of many friends of Rwanda to the reconstruction of post genocide Rwanda,” she said.

Ghana commended

She commended the Government of Ghana for its decision to maintain its contingent in Rwanda during the genocide at a time the country needed the assistance of the international community.

The decision taken by Ghana, she added, enabled the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) to save more lives in the heat of the genocide.

“For Rwanda and Ghana, it became a seed for a deep sisterly relationship that we continue to nourish and cherish to this day,” she said.

Rwanda’s resilience

In a speech read on her behalf, the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Regional Integration, Mrs Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, commended the people of Rwanda for their strength and resilience and demonstrating that they had the ability to transform their lives regardless of their history.

She emphasised that the most important means to prevent loss of innocent lives like what happened in Rwanda and similar atrocities in the past was to ensure that the perpetrators of the heinous crime were brought to justice.

Not much change in the world

The officer who led the Ghanaian contingent deployed to serve in the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, Major General (rtd) Henry Kwami Anyidoho, expressed concern that not much had changed in terms of preparations towards the prevention of genocides in Africa.