The message was delivered by the Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana, during the 32nd commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi held on June 21, 2026, in Busasamana Sector, Nyanza District.
Addressing residents and genocide survivors, Dr. Bizimana emphasized the importance of understanding the history of hatred and divisionism that culminated in the genocide, saying such knowledge is essential to protecting Rwanda from forces that could drag the country back into tragedy.
“We must understand this ideology so that we can recognize the dangers it brought and prevent it from re-emerging.At the same time, we should support the good leadership we have today because it provides a positive vision for every Rwandan. This is something that did not exist under the administrations of Presidents Kayibanda and Habyarimana. Such inclusive leadership had not been seen since the era of the Rwandan monarchy. We must therefore protect, respect and value our leadership,” he said.
His remarks came as Rwanda continues to strengthen efforts aimed at preserving national unity and combating genocide ideology through civic education, historical awareness and reconciliation programs.
During the commemoration, 43 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi were laid to rest with dignity at the Nyanza Genocide Memorial.
Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana
Dr. Bizimana described the burial as a powerful symbol of victory over the forces that sought to erase the victims and their memory.
“The extremists and Interahamwe militias never imagined that they would be defeated and that one day we would be able to bury our loved ones with dignity, honor their memory and openly speak about both their heroism and the crimes committed against them,” he said.
He also reassured genocide survivors that Rwanda remains committed to their welfare and to ensuring that the atrocities of 1994 never happen again.
“The Government of Rwanda will continue to stand with survivors, and what happened in 1994 will never be allowed to happen again,” he said.
Dr. Bizimana reflected on the historical origins of ethnic division and hatred in Rwanda, tracing them back to the colonial period when racial theories and discriminatory governance systems were introduced by German and Belgian colonial administrations.
Before colonial rule, he noted, Rwandans shared a common identity, language and culture despite existing social categories. However, colonial policies institutionalized ethnic divisions, including the introduction of identity cards bearing ethnic labels in the 1930s.
These divisions later evolved into discriminatory political ideologies that fueled violence against Tutsi communities, beginning in the late colonial period and continuing through the First and Second Republics.
According to the minister, discriminatory policies in education, employment and governance, coupled with hate propaganda spread by politicians and sections of the media in the early 1990s, laid the groundwork for the Genocide against the Tutsi, in which more than one million people were killed in just 100 days.
Dr. Bizimana highlighted the progress Rwanda has made since 1994 in rebuilding national cohesion through policies aimed at fostering unity, reconciliation and equal citizenship.
These efforts include the removal of ethnic identifiers from official documents, the enactment of laws against genocide ideology, the promotion of accurate historical education and continued investment in programs that strengthen national unity.
He urged citizens to remain vigilant against divisive ideologies and to work closely with national institutions in preserving the gains Rwanda has achieved over the past three decades.
“Our responsibility is to protect the Rwanda we have built together and ensure that future generations inherit a country founded on unity, dignity and shared progress,” he said.
