Idd-ul-Fitr, a religious holiday celebrated by Muslims around the world, marks the end of the holy month of fasting and prayer widely known as Ramadan.
“The Ministry of Public Service and Labour wishes to inform employers and employees in public and private sectors that on Wednesday 10 April 2024, will be a public holiday to celebrate EID EL FITR, in accordance with the Presidential Order N° 062/01 of 19/10/2022 on public holidays,” the ministry said in a statement on Tuesday.
During Eid-ul-Fitr celebrations, Muslim faithful wake up to cleanse their bodies in a ritual called ghusl.
After getting dressed for the day they gather in mosques or outdoor locations for prayers and listen to a khutba (sermon) and give zakat al-fitr (charity in the form of food).
Customary greetings, Eid Mubarak, with a formal embrace – three times – are common during Eid.
The celebrations come at a time the country continues to observe the National Commemoration Week as part of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
The 30th commemoration, also known as Kwibuka30, kicked off on Sunday, April 7, with a national event presided over by President Paul Kagame.
The anniversary, that seeks to honour more than a million people who lost their lives in the genocide, is being marked under the theme “remember-unite-renew” and serves as a moment of reflection on peace and unity, as precursors for sustainable development.
In an interview with South Africa’s SABC News, Mbeki called for the disengagement of troops in the volatile region to pave the way for a political solution to the war, which pits the M23 rebel group against the Congolese government.
Mbeki argued that the disengagement of troops in eastern DRC, including those from the Southern African Development Community (SADC), would avoid potential clashes.
“I am quite convinced as were President of Rwanda and DRC when they signed an agreement that you can’t resolve the problem in eastern Congo by force of arms. You can send the troops there, and people will die, but you cannot solve the problem,” Mbeki stated while condoling with the families of four members of the SADC contingence forces, including three Tanzanian soldiers, who recently died while on a mission in eastern DRC.
“So I am very sorry to hear these things that people have died from South Africa and other countries. Let us disengage the forces. They are already there, but let us disengage them so that there is no possibility of clashing. Because clashing will result in people dying for no reason. Let us separate them so that they are far from each other and then work to find a political solution.”
SADC troops, drawn from South Africa, Malawi and Tanzania, took over eastern DRC, following the withdrawal of The East African Community Regional Force (EACRF) from the region in December last year.
They are fighting alongside the Congolese government-led coalition, which includes the FDLR composed of Interahamwe, remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Rwanda, accused by the DRC of supporting M23, had protested against the deployment and technical support for 2,900 SADC troops to the region, stating that their involvement could spark a regional war.
Mbeki, in his interview following his attendance at the 30th Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi on Sunday, stated that South African President Cyril Ramaphosa is committed to helping Rwanda and DRC find a lasting solution to the tension in eastern DRC, amid counter accusations over support for the two armed groups, M23 and FDLR.
“I am very glad that President Ramaphosa is committed to the pursuit of the political solution,” Mbeki stated adding, “We are wasting people’s lives for no reason.”
Earlier, President Ramaphosa, in his interview with the same TV station, said the crisis in eastern DRC featured prominently in his discussion with President Kagame in Kigali, over the weekend.
He said the two leaders agreed that a political solution would be much beneficial in ending the tension between Rwanda and DRC.
“We both agreed that peace was an essential component fostering the development of this part of the continent and that in doing so we should bring the conflicts that are happening in the eastern part of the DRC to an end,” he said.
“There are a number of forces that operate in this area (North Kivu) and we agreed that a peaceful political solution is the best option to any military action.”
Kagame, on his part, continues to accuse the Congolese government of dehumanizing Congolese Tutsis, forcing them to seek refuge in Rwanda and Uganda.
Kagame, during his engagement with the media yesterday, insisted that the M23 rebel group is fighting for the rights of the Congolese Tutsis who are being “uprooted from their ancestral land and persecuted.”
“I am saying that even those who are accusing us, I should actually accuse them of not supporting M23 because it as if they agree with the injustice being done to this community,” he said in response to a question whether he supports the rebel group.
Mbeki, while acknowledging South Africa’s role in Rwanda’s recovery, said the country’s rise from the ashes of the 1994 atrocities inspires the rest of the African continent on its development potential.
“I think the government and the people of Rwanda have done very well in terms of the recovery from the genocide, development of Rwanda. I am very happy that South Africa made its own contribution as President Kagame was saying yesterday,” Mbeki said during an interview with SABC News on Monday after Sunday’s commemoration of 30th anniversary of the genocide.
“I think they demonstrate that if Rwanda can come from the genocide like that and achieve the kind of progress and development that it has achieved, it says that all of us on the continent, whatever our own problems nationally, if we do the right thing, we can also recover,” he added.
South Africa was among the countries recognized by Kagame on Sunday for their solidarity with the people of Rwanda during the challenging period.
The Rwandan Head of State said South Africa, which had just ended apartheid, offered to pay for Cuban doctors to help rebuild Rwanda’s shattered health system and opened up its universities to Rwandan students, charging only local fees.
“Among the hundreds of students who benefited from South Africa’s generosity, some were orphaned survivors; others were the children of perpetrators; and many were neither. Most have gone on to become leaders in our country in different fields,” Kagame stated, adding, “Today, they live completely new lives.”
During the event, President Kagame, who has predicted a fivefold growth for Rwanda in the next 30 years, also expressed his gratitude to Kenya, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) for hosting and giving a home to large numbers of Rwandan refugees.
He also recognized Tanzania for its role in hosting and facilitating the Arusha peace process and being a productive partner in the rebuilding process.
This was voiced during the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi, organized by the Rwandan Embassy in Belgium and IBUKA, umbrella organization of genocide survivors.
During the event, André Bucyana, the acting Chargé d’Affaires, illuminated the role played by the international community in these sorrowful times.
The commemoration was attended by a host of notable figures, including Jeroen Cooreman, the Director General for Bilateral Affairs at the Belgian Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Kalvin Soiresse Njall, President of the French-speaking section of the Brussels Regional Parliament; and Benoit Cerexhe, Mayor of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, where Brussels’ genocide memorial is located.
The event also saw participation from Dr. Jesse Jean, the Haitian Ambassador and chair of the ACP group’s committee of Ambassadors; Dr. Ibrahim Norbert, Deputy Secretary-General of the ACP; and Ernest SAGAGA, head of Ibuka Mémoire et Justice-Belgique, among others.
Chargé d’Affaires a.i. Bucyana reminded attendees that following the murder of 10 Belgian peacekeepers guarding Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana on April 7, 1994, Belgium decided to withdraw the remainder of its forces from Rwanda.
He mentioned that after the loss of the Belgian peacekeepers from MINUAR who were protecting the Prime Minister, Belgium not only withdrew its own troops but also influenced the UN to repatriate all MINUAR forces.
Initially, there were 2,700 peacekeeping troops in Rwanda, which was reduced to only 250 in Kigali to observe the situation.
Belgian troops had been positioned at the ETO Kicukiro vocational and technical school in Kigali, where many Tutsis had sought refuge, hoping for safety. However, on April 11, 1994, they left them vulnerable to the Interahamwe militia and government forces.
As the Belgian forces left, Tutsis trying to accompany them were pushed back, with shots fired to prevent them from following towards the Kigali International Airport.
Bucyana also recounted how Guy Verhofstadt, a former Prime Minister of Belgium, admitted Belgium’s involvement in these tragic events during a visit to Rwanda.
Verhofstadt, on a notable visit in 2000, acknowledged the need for reconciliation in Rwanda, stating the importance of admitting Belgium’s role and past mistakes.
He paid homage to the genocide victims and sought forgiveness on behalf of Belgium. The Rwandan government later recognized Verhofstadt’s acknowledgment, which came six years after the Genocide against the Tutsi.
The commemoration event in Brussels was attended by Rwandans, friends of Rwanda, diplomats, and officials from Belgium and the European Union, marking a significant moment of remembrance and reflection.
This memorial serves as a place for survivors and all Rwandans to remember the innocent victims killed over innate identity.
The ceremony was attended by approximately 250 people, including the Ambassador of Rwanda to the Netherlands, Olivier Nduhungirehe; the Netherland’s Minister of Justice and Security, Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius;and Christine Safari, the President of Ibuka-Hollande.
Participants also included officials from the South Amsterdam Province, Rwandans living in the Netherlands, representatives from the International Residual Mechanism for Criminal Tribunals (IRMCT), among others.
Before the commencement of the event, participants observed a moment of silence to remember the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi before proceeding with a remembrance walk and the main ceremony held at the RAI Exhibition Center.
The ceremony began with a lighting of the flame of hope, symbolizing Rwanda’s bright future and ensuring that the victims will never be forgotten, with everyone present taking part.
Minister Dilan Yeşilgöz-Zegerius praised Rwanda’s significant progress in rebuilding over the past 30 years, stating the importance of continuous commemoration, not only for Rwandan youth but also for the international community.
She highlighted Rwanda’s choice of reconciliation over revenge, acknowledging the challenges faced by many who lost their loved ones or grew up in incomplete families yet continue to carry the burden of this historical wound.
Minister Zegerius also commended the role of justice in Rwanda’s rebuilding process, noting her country’s substantial support in enhancing Rwanda’s judicial system.
She remarked on Rwanda’s commendable current state and its role as a beacon of hope worldwide. According to her, despite its tragic past, Rwanda chose to rebuild and unite its people.
Amb. Olivier Nduhungirehe thanked the Netherlands for its support in Rwanda’s rebuilding efforts and emphasized the importance of understanding the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
He criticized the ongoing efforts by some to distort the history of the genocide.
He highlighted that such tactics are not new and called for vigilance to prevent these narratives from undermining the global understanding of Rwanda’s history. As the world commemorates the 30th anniversary of the genocide, Amb. Nduhungirehe praised the Netherlands for its significant contributions to justice.
He outlined three key areas of Dutch support: infrastructure development for judicial institutions, training for judicial personnel, and assistance in tracking genocide perpetrators residing in the Netherlands.
Deniers of the genocide continue to undermine its historical accuracy, disputing the number of victims, the targeted ethnic group, and falsely claiming the occurrence of a double genocide.
Amb. Nduhungirehe assured continued cooperation with the Netherlands in pursuing and bringing to justice those responsible for the genocide who have not yet been apprehended.
Speaking during his engagement with the media on Monday, April 8, 2024, the Head of State said the country had defied the odds to record tremendous growth over the last 30 years, when the country was derailed by the Genocide against the Tutsi that left at least a million people dead.
“In the next 30 years we will continue making progress and be where others are that they have even taken for granted. We see developed countries, why can’t Rwanda or Africa develop to that extent or even beyond,” Kagame stated.
He highlighted that with the right politics in the country and the region, Rwanda will be far much better than its current state.
“The Rwanda of the next 30 years should maybe be three, four, or five times better than what you are seeing now. Thirty years from our graves to being here, I think another year we are not coming from the graves; this time we are coming from some level of progress,” he added.
Rwanda economy is, according to Central Bank Governor John Rwangombwa, projected to remain strong and resilient with the country’s GDP expected to grow by 6.6 per cent in 2024 after recording a remarkable growth of 8.2 per cent to hit $35 billion last year.
{{Instability in eastern DRC}}
Weighing in on the political instability in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), President Kagame lamented what he termed the dehumanization of the Congolese Tutsis.
He insisted that the M23 rebel group, which he has been accused of backing by President Felix Tshisekedi, is fighting for the rights of the Congolese Tutsis who are being “uprooted from their ancestral land, persecuted,” and left to seek shelter in neighboring countries, including Rwanda and Uganda.
“I am saying that even those who are accusing us, I should actually accuse them of not supporting M23 because it is as if they agree with the injustice being done to this community,” he said in response to a question whether he supports the rebel group.
President Kagame said more than 100,000 refugees have sought shelter in Rwanda due to the insecurity in the eastern part of the DRC.
“Otherwise, if you did not agree with this injustice, you would actually be raising questions as to why these M23 people are being treated like this. Why do we have 100,000 refugees in Rwanda?” Kagame stated.
He added, “Whether Rwanda supports or associates in anyway with M23 is immaterial.”
Speaking during his recent visit to Rwanda for the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Ramaphosa admitted that the relationship between the two countries has been facing challenges.
He, however, indicated that since he came to power, he has been working to mend the relations.
According to the South African Head of State, some of the “wrinkles” include Rwandans needing to apply for visas to visit South Africa, something he said he had agreed with his Rwandan counterpart, Paul Kagame, to resolve “as soon as possible”.
“I had an extensive discussion with him about how we can refashion our relationship on a bilateral basis on issues to do with visa and travel. We believe that we are definitely going to get on the way of rekindling and rebuilding that relationship,” Ramaphosa stated.
“I say rekindling because it is a relationship that is in existence, like relationships between countries, sometimes they face challenges, they wrinkle up and those wrinkles will be straightened up.”
Ramaphosa also noted that the crisis in the eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the war with the M23 rebel group, which DRC accuses Rwanda of backing, featured prominently in their discussions.
The two leaders agreed that a political solution would be much beneficial in ending the tension between Rwanda and DRC rather than military action.
“We both agreed that peace was an essential component fostering the development of this part of the continent and that in doing so we should bring the conflicts that are happening in the eastern part of the DRC to an end,” he said.
“There are a number of forces that operate in this area (North Kivu) and we agreed that a peaceful political solution is the best option to any military action.”
Ramaphosa also noted that he had involved former President Thabo Mbeki in the discussions and hoped for a resolution of the dispute.
“All of us, in our discussions, expressed a deep yearning for a peaceful political solution to the challenges being faced [in the DRC]. I leave Rwanda with a renewed, bigger intention to find a solution that could lead to a political solution.”
Kagame, on his part said, the discussions were fruitful.
“I think we had a very good discussion, very good understanding of the situation and maybe the best ways we can work together to resolve that,” he told the media on Monday.
Ramaphosa had attracted criticism over his decision to deploy more than 2,000 troops to the Eastern Congo as part of SADC mission to fight alongside a Congolese government-led coalition. This coalition includes the FDLR, composed of Interahamwe, who are remnants of the perpetrators of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Rwanda protested against the South Africa-led mission and urged the United Nations Security Council not to support the troops logistically or technically, arguing that do so could spark a regional war.
Speaking during an engagement with the media on Monday, April 8, 2024, President Kagame said he had requested the US to be “kind enough” to commemorate with Rwanda every April 7 and avoid constant criticism of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) leadership during this special day.
“For me, that concern was answered long ago by making our position clear, maybe in 2014 or 2015 when we told them to be kind enough to commemorate with us on April 7 and have the rest of 365 days to blame us every day for everything they don’t like about us,” said President Kagame.
He was responding to a question from a local journalist who sought to know whether he discussed America’s failure to define the genocide against the Tutsi correctly during his recent meeting with former President Bill Clinton.
“We receive messages from all over the world joining us in the commemoration. At that time, we received a message that talked about, on one hand, Kwibuka and sympathizing with us, and then another part addressed issues about democracy, human rights, and everything that we are thought not to have in our country.”
“Our country wrote a letter back to the US. I am the one who authored that letter. The United States or any government of any country has the freedom to tell us what they want, whether we are happy about it or not. That is no problem, and we are always going to accept whatever is brought our way,” President Kagame stated.
He noted that the US or any other foreign state was free to criticize the country but not on the commemoration day dubbed “Kwibuka”.
“But I also told them an important thing: on this commemoration, we are grateful when you commemorate with us. But for these other points you are trying to make to us, we have one request which is important to us. We told them, ‘Feel free to commemorate with us if you want, and feel free to tell us whatever you don’t like about us. But our request is one: when it’s the day of commemoration, which is April 7, can you be kind enough to commemorate with us and stop there,” he added.
“There are 365 days in a year; give us that day of April 7 to commemorate with us, and then you can have the rest of the 364 days to blame us every day for everything you don’t like. Just separate these things: blame us for the rest of the days of the year.’ I thought it was a fair deal. For me, that problem was solved that day.”
Yesterday, President Paul Kagame, in an apparent reference to the US, also condemned intentional vagueness in reporting of the genocide against the Tutsi, which he said plays a role in fueling denial.
“Rwandans will never understand why any country would remain intentionally vague about who was targeted in the genocide. I don’t understand that. Such ambiguity is, in fact, a form of denial, which is a crime in and of itself, and Rwanda will always challenge it,” Kagame stated during Kwibuka30.
The French book, written by Esther Mujawayo and Daniel Le Scornet, was launched during the Kwibuka30 International Conference held at Intare Arena in Kigali on Friday, 5, 2024. The newly -launched book retails at RWF25,000.
Speaking during the launch of the book, Mujawayo, who founded AVEGA after the genocide in 1994, said 13 women from the association contributed to the book.
According to the survivor, the testimonies in the book aim to comfort people suffering from trauma and depression by showing them that they have a supportive country and that survival is possible, as evidenced by these women’s experiences.
“The association helped us a lot from trauma, from loneliness as all our relatives were killed… Being together not only brought us hope but brought us to life,” she stated.
Mukandoli Dancille, one of the women and contributor in the book, emphasized that the organization had not only renewed their hope to live but help the vulnerable too.
“We started the association in tears. We would wonder what we could do with tears. There was a lot of trauma that we could not bear alone without the support of others. We used to think we were dead. But we survived. We wondered what we could do. We said we needed to do something; we didn’t need to cry alone,” she stated.
“Later, we were determined and said we could do it. Even our grown children were telling us, ‘Mom, you are our heroines. You can do something that could change the world.’ To speak out about what had happened in Rwanda.”
The association’s work includes starting a trauma center to help individuals suffering from trauma receive counseling and other psychological services.
“In the months following the genocide, we were lost. We had women, like teachers, who lost their children. When schools reopened and these women saw students the same age as their deceased children, they were traumatized and even fled their jobs. Nurses faced similar experiences. Providing care to children the same age as their own who were killed during the genocide deeply affected them mentally,” Dancille disclosed.
“We thought that the first thing to do is establish a trauma center for traumatized people because then someone who was traumatized was deemed to be mad,” she added.
Scornet, on his part, maintained that the women deserve to be heard because they have an important message for humanity.
“We went out of our way with pen and paper to have something to remember all the people we lost. Now that the genocide is recognized and the responsibility, including that of my country, is known, we felt compelled to write something. We approached this with some form of ambition because we wanted to share what happened to these ladies,” the author added.
The 28-year-old came into the limelight in 2022 after her Master’s thesis, “The Port of Evidence: Reconstructing Past Events of the 1994 Rwandan Genocide against the Tutsi,” from the University of Johannesburg’s Graduate School of Architecture, received a distinction.
She also scooped three other merit awards for her research, which largely challenges the validity of the documented history on the three Rwandan communities – Hutu, Tutsi, and Twa.
Speaking during her presentation dubbed “Architectures of Memory: Exploring the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi” at the Kigali Public Library on Saturday, April 6, 2024, Mhoja said that her research investigated an ideal ethnicity, which was validated through the eugenics movement started by Belgian colonialists in Rwanda in 1919.
Mhoja said personal experiences where she was often subjected to discrimination based on her facial appearance in her home country Tanzania and other countries, shaped the objectives of her research work.
According to the architect, due to her Tutsi ancestry, she was once stopped by an immigration official who demanded to see her birth certificate.
She disclosed that her grandfather was from Rwanda and was exiled to Tanzania by the Belgian colonizers.
“My interest in the subject began with me constantly being discriminated against in different countries including my home Tanzania and asking why I am discriminated against based on how I look and my facial features,” she said.
The perception about her looks pushed her to look into the craniometric measurements performed by Belgian anthropologist, Jean Hiernaux, on the classification of the three ethnic groups of Rwanda.
Hiernaux had through his findings developed an index which classified the ethnic groups and claimed that the Tutsis were more “superior” because they originated from Caucasoid phenotypes. Using facial features and their sizes, the Tutsis were compared to the Aryans, Jews, and Greeks.
The Belgian government then used this index to assign ethnic cards, which afforded the most privileges to the Tutsis that brought about hate, which is blamed in the killing of more than one million people 30 years ago.
Using her training in architecture, she was able to disprove Hiernaux’s Index using her facial measurements as the Index could not prove that she was a Tutsi.
Using archived materials, she was also able to analyze how other infrastructures including the media such as Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) were used to continue to perpetuate hate messages against the Tutsi.
“Through looking at the infrastructure that facilitated the genocide, I began to question how we can subvert the historical narrative of these infrastructures facilitating genocide and look to informal spaces and public areas which can provide healing, learning, and information about the dangers of the genocide,” she said.
The Master’s thesis took Mhoja a year to complete.
She noted that she faced several challenges in the research including sieving through all types of information on the internet including that from genocide denials and filtering the truth from false information.
Mhoja intends to continue to explore the subject of the genocide further in the future as part of her Ph.D. work.
Some of the notable personalities who attended the event included genocide and history researcher Tom Ndahiro and political analyst Albert Rudatsimburwa, among others.
The presentation came a day before the 30th commemoration of the genocide where several heads-of-state across Africa and other high-ranking dignitaries including former United States President Bill Clinton are scheduled to attend.”
