A diplomatic row between Rwanda and the United Nations (UN) over the definition of what unfolded in Rwanda in 1994 ‘genocide’ has overshadowed the preparations for this year’s commemoration event.
As an expression of displeasure with the United Nation’s reference of the mass killings in 1994 as ‘Genocide in Rwanda’, officials of President Paul Kagame’s administration have indicated that they will snub the ceremony hosted by the UN in Gigiri, Nairobi, tomorrow.
In an exclusive interview with The Standard, Rwandan High Commissioner to Kenya Ambassador James Kimonyo said that the mission has decided to commemorate the 23rd anniversary of the Genocide Against the Tutsi outside the UN premises and the event organized by the Embassy will take place at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) not at the UN like it was the case in the past.
Mr. Kimonyo explained that during 22nd Commemoration event at the UN, he differed with the framing of the genocide that saw the killing of about a million people in almost 100 days. The envoy says that massacres in Rwanda in 1994 were directed at a specific group of people, the Tutsi, and that it was incorrect to refer to it as ‘Genocide in Rwanda’. FULL STORY