Dare Babalola
Nigeria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, on Tuesday described her visit to the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Rwanda as “emotionally draining and deeply sobering,” as she reflected on the 1994 genocide that claimed the lives of over one million people.
In a statement issued after visiting the memorial, Odumegwu-Ojukwu recounted the atrocities that occurred between April 7 and July 19, 1994, when members of the Tutsi ethnic group and moderate Hutus were systematically killed during the genocide.
“For a hundred days, horror lived here,” she said. “A tragedy of apocalyptic proportions occurred over three months, from 7 April to 19 July 1994, when over one million men, women and children of the Tutsi race and thousands of moderate Hutus in Rwanda were systematically massacred by militias of the Hutu race.”
She noted that the genocide was characterised by extreme violence, with many victims reportedly murdered by neighbours, while widespread sexual violence also occurred during the period.
Odumegwu-Ojukwu said walking through the memorial museum, which houses personal accounts, artefacts, mass graves and a children’s memorial, moved her to tears.
“Visiting the Kigali Genocide Memorial was an emotionally draining and deeply sobering experience for me. It is hard not to be reduced to tears as one walks through the museum, viewing the gallery of the atrocities and reflecting on the cruelty and brutality of the 1994 atrocities — man’s inhumanity to man,” she stated.
She also lamented what she described as the failure of the international community to intervene despite clear evidence that innocent civilians were being killed daily.
The minister referenced philosopher George Santayana’s famous warning that “those who fail to learn the lessons of history are doomed to repeat it,” saying the words “hang like a heavy cloud” over the memorial.
Despite the horrors of the genocide, Odumegwu-Ojukwu praised the resilience of the Rwandan people and their efforts toward reconciliation and national rebuilding.
“Horror lived here, but I am truly amazed by the resilience of Rwanda’s people, their capacity for forgiveness and their painstaking journey to healing, reconciliation and rebuilding a united nation,” she said.
She further described the Kigali Genocide Memorial as a reminder of the need for global action against hate speech, xenophobia, ethnic discrimination and incitement to violence.
“The Kigali Genocide Memorial serves not just as a final resting place for over 250,000 victims, but as a constant reminder that to prevent future genocides, we must continue to stand against hate speech, incitement, xenophobic rhetoric, racial as well as ethnic bias in our communities and globally,” she added.
