New Delhi: The High Commission of Rwanda in India, partnering with the United Nations in India, hosted the Kwibuka32 event at Bharat Mandapam to commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The day featured morning and evening sessions drawing hundreds of participants.
Morning Session: Student Art Exhibition Promotes Peace
Around 450 students and educators from Delhi-area high schools kicked off the event with an exhibition. Their artworks captured the genocide’s horrors while championing peace, love, and unity.
High Commissioner Jacqueline Mukangira praised UN India’s collaboration and lauded the students’ research-driven creations. She urged them to champion tolerance, harmony, human rights, and non-discrimination. Mukangira detailed the genocide’s planning, Rwanda’s path to reconciliation, and its transformation over three decades.
UN Information Centre Director Darrin Farrant read UN Secretary-General’s message for the International Day of Reflection on the genocide.
Evening Session: Leaders Honor Victims, Call for Justice
Over 650 attendees—including Indian officials, diplomats, scholars, business leaders, civil society, media, and Rwandan diaspora—gathered for the evening remembrance.
Ireland’s Ambassador to India, H.E. Kevin Kelly, delivered the keynote, sharing his post-genocide experiences in Rwanda. He hailed the nation’s resilience, leadership, and progress as a model for rising above tragedy.
High Commissioner Mukangira thanked India for its support and strong bilateral ties. She honored victims, survivors, and those who stopped the atrocities, outlining the genocide’s state-sponsored origins, brutality—including mass killings, torture, and sexual violence—and the international community’s failures. Stressing “Never Again,” she warned of lingering genocidal ideologies in eastern DRC and called on UN members to build monuments, prosecute or extradite fugitives, and combat hate speech.
Mukangira highlighted Rwanda’s recovery through unity, reconciliation, and development gains.
As Chief Guest, MEA Secretary Sudhakar Dalela praised India-Rwanda relations, noting the recent visit by Rwanda’s Foreign Minister for the 2nd Joint Commission Meeting and Raisina Dialogue 2026. He commended President Paul Kagame’s leadership.
UN Resident Coordinator Stefan Priesner called Rwanda a beacon of recovery and shared the Secretary-General’s message.
The session closed with candle lighting, a minute of silence, a genocide documentary, a student drama from KIET Group of Institutions on the genocide’s execution, and a performance of “Mudaheranwa” by Bal Bharati Public School students.
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