Rabat – Morocco’s Head of Government Aziz Akhannouch represented King Mohammed VI on Sunday at the solemn ceremony commemorating the 30th anniversary of the genocide against the Tutsis people in Rwanda.
Akhannouch joined President Paul Kagame and other world leaders in Rwanda to pay tribute to the victims of one of the darkest chapters in the country’s history, remembering the atrocities committed during the 1994 genocide.
Speaking at the ceremony, President Kagame emphasized the significance of honoring the memory of the genocide victims while also acknowledging the progress Rwanda has made in reconciliation and nation-building.
“Commemorating this painful memory is an occasion to remember our victims but also to take pride in what Rwanda has become today,” Kagame stated.
As the “Memory Flame” was lit to mark the beginning of the national mourning period, Akhannouch stood alongside President Kagame and other dignitaries, honoring the memory of the genocide victims.
The laying of a wreath of flowers at the Genocide Memorial further symbolized the collective remembrance and solidarity shared by nations around the world.
The genocide in Rwanda claimed the lives of an estimated 800,000 people in just 100 days between April and July 1994 and was a culmination of longstanding tensions between the Hutu majority and the Tutsi minority in the country.
The roots of the conflict can be traced back to the colonial era when the Tutsis, although a minority, held positions of power and privilege under Belgian rule.
In 1959, the Hutus overthrew the Tutsi monarchy, leading to the exodus of tens of thousands of Tutsis to neighboring countries. This marked the beginning of a cycle of violence and discrimination against the Tutsis, which intensified over the years and into the 90s.
The Hutu extremists exploited Rwanda’s tightly controlled society, using propaganda to dehumanize the Tutsis and mobilize the population for mass violence. Hate propaganda was disseminated through radio stations and newspapers, urging people to “weed out the cockroaches;” a euphemism for killing Tutsis.
The Moroccan delegation’s participation in the ceremony in Rwanda reaffirmed the Kingdom’s stance against genocide and its support for initiatives aimed at promoting peace and reconciliation.
