Yesterday President Uhuru Kenyatta of Kenya officially apologized to Rwanda over letdown by the East African countries to intervene and save Rwanda from the dreadful 1994 genocide.
The president of Kenya together With other east African Heads of State plus dignitaries laid wreaths at the Genocide Memorial found in Rwanda’s capital Kigali during the twentieth Anniversary of the dreaded Rwanda Genocide.
The President said that although all countries offered no help as the people of Rwanda were brutally harassed and even murdered, it wasn’t acceptable for the countries of the East African region to as well standby and not take any action.
He was repentant that for one hundred days as the genocide swept through, Rwanda fatally suffered devoid of the rest of the world trying to step in and realize the “never again” oath made following the Jewish Holocaust.
He went on to say that our region as well stood aside, and because of that we be are obliged for the most thoughtful apology to the Rwandese. Immediate help was surely expected to come from the close to them and we should establish an independent means and will to safeguard the lives and future of our children.
The president who is as well the chairman of the East African Community released a statement from rwanda’s Kigali right after attending the ceremonies to mark the 20th anniversary of the genocide together with twenty other presidents and government officials from all corners of the world.
The Secretary General of UN Mr. Ban Ki Moon as well attended the ceremony which brought together various delegations from more than 10 countries from Canada, the African continent, China, USA, Britain as well as Germany.
Part of the activities during the memorial included laying of wreath by the presidents plus other dignitaries at the Kigali Genocide Memorial found in Gisozi where very many remains of the victims are laid to rest.
Paul Kagame the president of Rwanda and Ban Ki Moon lit a torch that will burn for one hundred days, to mark the number of day genocide lasted.
In those 100 days different communities will gather together to commemorate their friends and family they lost to the genocide and even support survivors. On 4th July it will mark the twentieth anniversary of the end of the terrible genocide. It will as well be a time to reflect on the story of the power of endurance, reconciliation as well as country building.
The President of Kenya said that although such mass violence wasn’t expected to happen again in Rwanda, the many lessons learnt from this were sufficient to justify caution stating that it is for this reason that there is a regional force always on standby to make sure that there is peace.
He traced the genocide in Rwanda to the racist ideology by colonialism that practiced the policies of division and fright. He made it clear that there was reason enough to make sure that the East African region is as tough on security plus mutual support, as it is in economic integration plus trade.