Today marks 28 years since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis

Today in Rwanda, it’s quiet. Everyone is in quiet remembrance of the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsis. 
 
28 years ago today launched the 100 days of killing where close to one million people were slaughtered in Rwanda. The killers were targeting the minority Tutsi people group and anyone who opposed the killings. 
 
Kwibuka means “to remember” in Kinyarwanda. This time of 100 days of remembrance is designated as Kwibuka. 
 
“During this Kwibuka we shall also continue advocating for the interests of genocide survivors; including their safety and welfare as well as push to see that [judicial] cases not decided are concluded so that justice is served,” says Naphtal Ahishakiye, the Executive Secretary of Ibuka, the umbrella body of genocide survivors’ organizations. 
 
Phiona Ishimwe, a young Rwandan lawyer, states, “I think what our nation needs is to build on a foundation of forgiveness. This is the only way we can move forward and build a better future. It is up to us, the youth, to task ourselves to build the country the way we deem fit without being influenced by the bad ideology of some of our parents.”
 
The ongoing mission of Kwibuka is to “Remember, Unite, Renew”.
 
Please stand in prayer with us as our Rwandan brothers and sisters are remembering and reflecting on the past and how this mass killing still affects their families and friends.