As usual, the ceremony took place at Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi where 259,000 victims of Genocide against Tutsi are laid to rest.
Their remains were exhumed from Gasabo, Kicukiro and Nyarugenge districts of Kigali City.
The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi took lives of over 1 million victims within three months killed over their innate personality.
The flame will remain lit for the next 100, symbolising the period that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi lasted.
Before lighting the flame of hope, President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame laid wreaths at the mass grave at the memorial and paid homage to victims laid there.
The ceremony was attended by different dignitaries including the head of diplomatic corps in Rwanda and representatives of umbrella organizations of survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi including IBUKA, AVEGA Agahozo and AERG.
During the ceremony, the Mufti of Rwanda, Sheikh Salim Hitimana, led a prayer asking God to grant a safe haven for the slain victims and strengthen the Genocide survivors.
He also prayed for the strength of Rwandans to stand against any attempt to revive ethnic discrimination.
The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Bizimana Jean Damascene, said that Tutsis were killed in 13 districts across the country on April 7th, 1994.
According to a report by the Ministry of Local Government from 2000 to 2002, 1,074,017 Tutsis were killed during the 100 days of the genocide from April to July 1994. A 2004 report identifies the places where genocide victims lived, their ages, and names.
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