@BusingyeJohns “At a memorial, my 9-year-old heart felt the weight of a world torn apart. I learned of a truth too heavy to bear, of lives lost simply for just being there.”
Janice Isimbi and Natasha Muhoza share a heartfelt poem during #Kwibuka32 in London.
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“We owe future generations of Rwandans more than survival. They deserve to inherit a secure, united, and bold country, and an integrated and confident Africa.” President Kagame #Kwibuka32
“To me, silence felt safer, but silence is not neutral, it comes at a cost.” Marie Rose Rurangirwa encourages survivors to share their stories, warning that if we stay silent, our narratives can be distorted and shaped by others.
#Kwibuka32 London
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Kwibuka 32 🕯️ | Paris
La cérémonie s’est conclue par un dépôt de gerbe au Jardin de la Mémoire du Génocide contre les Tutsi, au Parc de Choisy, en présence de Mme @LMushikiwabo, de la Secrétaire générale de l’@OIFrancophonie, du maire de Paris, @egregoire, de l’amb. @FNimfura ainsi que de la communauté rwandaise et des amis du Rwanda.
#Kwibuka32
This evening, President Kagame and First Lady Jeannette Kagame joined thousands of Rwandan youth for the annual Walk to Remember and Night Vigil at BK Arena, as part of the #Kwibuka32 remembrance activities, where young Rwandans stand together to uphold the memory of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
“What sustains Rwanda today is the unity of Rwandans, and the conviction that like all people, we have the right to live in safety and dignity, and at peace with all our neighbours.
What we ask, is for partners to join with us to fight extremism, rather than punishing Rwanda for defending itself. We owe future generations of Rwandans more than survival. They deserve to inherit a secure, united, and bold country, and an integrated and confident Africa.” President Kagame | #Kwibuka32
“Whether here in the country, or outside, especially outside, there are those who have often distorted this history of ours for different reasons. They have a real challenge on their hands if they expect people to change history and tell it differently.
What I would say, as Theoneste said, is that times do change, and times have changed. No one will ever die again the way Theoneste was describing it, the way those who died perished, or even the way he himself died, because it was a form of death. The fact that he is here is a form of resurrection. No one will ever die again in this way.
You cannot kill a person twice. If you try, the person will kill you before you kill them. As we stand here before you, some people outside mock us and speak about us with contempt, but this whole country, this Rwanda you see before you, cannot die twice. Before you kill Rwanda, Rwanda will strike first. The way you see us here, we cannot die twice.
Whether it is us adults, or our younger generation, no one will kill them twice. It is impossible. It will not happen. We will live the way people are supposed to live, the way everyone else lives. And inevitably, we will not ask anyone for permission to live.” President Kagame | #Kwibuka32
“Kwibuka carries profound meaning for our nation. It is how we confront and overcome the divisions that nearly destroyed us. This day empowers us all.
We draw on the strength of survivors, who provide the reservoir of humanity that feeds our nation’s soul. To all survivors, know that you are not alone. We stand with you always.
Everything we have achieved, was only possible, because all Rwandans decided to join hands in common purpose. We honour the role played by every Rwandan, in our country’s rebirth.” President Kagame | #Kwibuka32
A permanent memorial at UN HQ honours the 1M+ lives lost in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
On this International Day of Reflection, we remember – because remembrance keeps hope alive.
https://t.co/n7RTG7x5el
#Kwibuka#PreventGenocide
On the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda, we mourn the victims & pay tribute to the survivors.
We must learn from past failures & protect the living — by rejecting hatred, inflammatory rhetoric & incitement to violence.
Today we commemorate the 32nd anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and begin the official commemoration week.
Remember - Unite - Renew
#Kwibuka32
“La RDC est la cause de tous les problèmes dont nous parlons, mais ceux qui décident d’appliquer des sanctions le font selon leurs propres critères, en fonction de leurs propres intérêts.
Émettre des sanctions ne signifie pas qu’elles sont justifiées. On vous les applique parce que vous ne correspondez pas aux intérêts de ceux qui vous les infligent. Une chose est sûre : qu’on n’attende pas de moi que je demande pardon et que j’accepte des sanctions injustifiées, dont je ne comprends pas les bases.”- President Kagame
https://t.co/XIjpOUe0UA
What happened today at the African Union is a stark reminder that leadership matters. It's unbelievable to note that a whole continental organisation can be tarnished or driven into a crisis by its own Chairperson, who is in office for not even two months.
Unlike what I read here and there in the media, today's decision by the twenty (20) AU member States who broke the silence was not aimed at rejecting the candidature of anyone. It was aimed at opposing a flawed procedure initiated by President Evariste Ndayishimiye of Burundi, Chairperson of the African Union, in total violation of all rules and regulations governing African candidatures in the international system.
In this matter, everything was wrong from day one:
FIRST, on 2nd March 2026, the Permanent Representative of Burundi in New York sent a letter to the President of the UN General Assembly, informing her that: "my government, current Chair of the African Union, nominates His Excellency Macky Sall, former President of the Republic of Senegal, for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations".
This submission of an African candidature to the position of UN Secretary General came as a surprise to all African Heads of State and Government, as none of them was consulted by the AU Chairperson before taking this important decision.
SECOND, after submitting the candidature of former President Macky Sall in New York, the President of Burundi attempted to force his African counterparts to endorse this gross breach of procedure. Indeed, he yesterday convened the bureau of the African Union (attended by only two other members) and decided to put such an important matter under an unusual 24-hour "silence procedure".
In other words, President Ndayishimiye, instead of convening an AU Summit to advise him on the right procedure, chose to give his fellow AU Heads of State and Government only 24 hours to either endorse, by keeping silent, an AU decision that "EXPRESSES ITS FIRM SUPPORT to the President of the Republic of Burundi, H.E. Evariste Ndayishimiye, Chairperson of the AU for 2026, for having presented the candidacy of President Macky Sall [...] for the position of Secretary-General of the United Nations", or to reject it by breaking the silence.
This was too much for many AU member States, which could not accept such a diktat and such disrespect from their Chairperson. They then decided to break the silence, block his decision and remind President Ndayishimiye that the African Union is governed by the rule of law.
Unfortunately, the damage was already done in the outside world but I hope that this incident will nonetheless serve us as a lesson for future appointments of AU Chairpersons.