{"id":53585,"date":"2025-03-26T19:19:55","date_gmt":"2025-03-26T19:19:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/nduhungirehe-reads-malice-as-liege-backs-out-of-commemoration-of-genocide\/"},"modified":"2025-03-28T16:26:08","modified_gmt":"2025-03-28T16:26:08","slug":"nduhungirehe-reads-malice-as-liege-backs-out-of-commemoration-of-genocide","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/nduhungirehe-reads-malice-as-liege-backs-out-of-commemoration-of-genocide\/","title":{"rendered":"Nduhungirehe reads malice as Li\u00e8ge backs out of commemoration of Genocide against the Tutsi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Li\u00e8ge authorities have traditionally joined Rwandans in commemorating the genocide and had scheduled the event for April 12, 2025. However, they have now decided to withdraw from the event.<\/p>\n

According to state broadcaster RTBF, the city’s decision was based on a warning from the Li\u00e8ge police.<\/p>\n

The police cited tensions between the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and Rwanda, suggesting that individuals from the two countries residing in the city could clash during the event.<\/p>\n

“An analysis of the potential issue was conducted. The Li\u00e8ge police provided an unfavourable recommendation. The international political climate is unstable,” Jadranka Lozina, the spokesperson for the Li\u00e8ge police, was quoted as saying.<\/p>\n

While Rwandans will still be allowed to gather privately for the commemoration, Li\u00e8ge Mayor Willy Demeyer will not attend. Authorities have also warned that if public order is threatened, the gathering will not be permitted.<\/p>\n

The decision comes amid strained diplomatic relations between Rwanda and Belgium. Rwanda recently cut ties with Belgium due to the latter’s alignment with the DRC in calling for sanctions against Rwanda, accusing it of supporting the M23 rebel group\u2014an allegation Rwanda has strongly denied.<\/p>\n

Minister Nduhungirehe condemned the move, arguing that it demonstrates how the genocide denial narrative, propagated by DRC authorities and their Belgian supporters, is rapidly spreading within Belgium.<\/p>\n

“It is evident that the denial virus, spread by the Congolese government and its supporters in Belgium, is rapidly taking hold in the Kingdom of L\u00e9opold!” the minister wrote on X.<\/p>\n

Nduhungirehe further pointed out that Li\u00e8ge is governed by the Socialist Party (PS), which includes Lydia Mutyebele, a DRC-born MP known for her hostility towards Rwanda and genocide denial, as well as Andr\u00e9 Flahaut, who has recently shown support for Kinshasa\u2019s leadership in the ongoing regional tensions.<\/p>\n

He also reminded that April 7 is an internationally recognised day, designated by the United Nations General Assembly, for the world to join Rwandans in commemorating the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n

\"Minister<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, Ambassador Olivier Nduhungirehe, has criticised the Belgian city of Li\u00e8ge for backing out of the 31st commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000084328,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[75],"byline":[170],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-53585","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-homenews","byline-igihe"],"bylines":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"contributors":[{"id":170,"name":"IGIHE","slug":"igihe","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":8}],"featured_image":{"id":2000084328,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-21-e04ab-d7bec.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-21-e04ab-d7bec.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-21-e04ab-d7bec.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-21-e04ab-d7bec.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-21-e04ab-d7bec.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/nduhungirehe-21-e04ab-d7bec.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53585","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=53585"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/53585\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000084328"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=53585"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=53585"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=53585"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=53585"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=53585"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}