New Delhi, India

In a poignant ceremony marking 30 years since the horrific Rwanda Genocide, Rwanda's High Commissioner, Jacqueline Mukangira, led a solemn gathering in Delhi, drawing the diplomatic community in full force. The event served as a stark reminder of the atrocities that unfolded, claiming over a million Tutsi lives. 

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With tears in her eyes, High Commissioner Mukangira recounted the tragic loss of her own family members.

"After the world had said, never again, should the genocide happen after the holocaust. World has watched a bloody unfolding, the genocide against the Tutsis. From April to July 1994, one million Tutsi were brutally slaughtered including my family members. Indeed, I lost my dad, I lost my four siblings, including my bigger sister, my three brothers, I lost all my uncles, my aunties ...but I am here today to tell you the story, of Rwanda," she shared.

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She detailed the systematic brutality of the genocide, revealing, "The genocide against the Tutsis, in Rwanda, was done systematically, 10,000 Tutsis were killed every day for three consecutive months. We lost 10 percent of our population, over the course of 3 months in 1994. The government of that time said that the old way to save the country was to kill all the Tutsis, as they were all mapped for extermination. One million Tutsis were killed."

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Reflecting on the global response, Mukangira emphasised, "The world should come together to heal the wounds left by the world's negligence. We cannot turn back the clock or undo the harm but we can save the future."

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Echoing this sentiment, Ambassador of Ireland to Delhi, Kevin Kelly, condemned the inaction of the international community, stating, "The world stood idly by as we watched the slaughter of a million people. It was a massive failure of the international community."

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This year marks 30 years of the Genocide, and a ceremony took place in Rwanda in the presence of global leaders, and was led by Rwanda President Paul Kagame.  

Dammu Ravi, Secretary (Economic Relations), and Puneet R. Kundal, AS, [East & Southern Africa] Division of Africa represented the Indian government on April 7, 2024 for the 30th Commemoration event of Genocide in Kigali. India also lit up the Qutub Minar in Delhi with the colours of the flag of Rwanda.

India, among the select nations, raised alarms as early as 1992 regarding the potential for genocide in Rwanda.

Indian soldiers, serving as part of the UNAMIR-United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, displayed remarkable courage during the 1994 genocide, sacrificing their lives in service