Zimbabwe’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Amon Murwira, has hailed Rwanda for its ability to regenerate itself from calamity to prosperity following the devastating 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in which more than a million people were brutally murdered.

Speaking at the Kwibuka 31 commemorations held in Harare, Zimbabwe, on Monday, April 7, Murwira expressed admiration of Rwanda’s recovery from devastation and hopelessness to becoming a model country.

“Our presence today at this commemoration is a demonstration of our solidarity with you and your country. Dear Ambassador (James Musoni), and also an expression of our admiration towards your country’s ability to regenerate itself from calamity to prosperity. Rwanda’s national healing and reconciliation is a well-documented success story,” he said.

“The traditional community based Gacaca courts and reconciliation villages are a powerful example of how a country can come together to overcome dark pasts.”
Murwira said commemorations to mark the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda are significant in helping the world never to forget what happened in Rwanda when over one million people were brutally murdered. Murwira said the commemorations, each year, are also a reminder of the collective failure of the international community to protect those who were killed.

“Today we salute the courage and resilience of survivors who had the bravery and acceptance to forgive and live side by side with the perpetrators amidst the dark history of the country,” Murwira said.

“Commemoration of this event each year helps the world never to forget what happened in Rwanda. It reminds us of the collective failure of the international community to protect those who were killed, so that history does not repeat itself.”

The Kwibuka 31 commemoration was attended by the Rwandan community in Zimbabwe, government officials, the business community, diplomats accredited to Harare and friends of Rwanda.

Muriwira emphasised that Zimbabwe will always stand in solidarity with Rwanda in remembering the atrocities that claimed the lives of over one million innocent children, women and men who were brutally murdered.

Murwira said a solid foundation has been laid for future generations to build upon.

“Thirty-one years on, the milestones that Rwanda has made are evident,” he said. “There is no doubt that future generations will build upon this foundation that has been clearly laid out for them.”