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Kinyarwanda
Rwandan Police Peacekeepers serving under the United Nations Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) honored the lives lost 21 years ago in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
They were joined by other peacekeeping forces and UN staff in the area, as well as local leaders and residents of Abyei in the 21st Commemoration of the Genocide, which claimed over one million innocent lives.
Abyei is a disputed area in Sudan accorded "special administrative status" by the 2004 Protocol on the Resolution of the Abyei Conflict in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that ended the second Sudanese Civil War.
Speaking at the commemoration event, Superintendent Oscar Munanura, head Rwanda Community in UNISFA, said that the Genocide against the Tutsi was a result of bad politics introduced by colonialists who through their divide and rule policies created fictitious classes among Rwandans, thus sowing seeds of discord and hatred.
"21 years ago from today, Rwanda was plunged in a pool of blood, and the world remained silent. An ethnic cleansing plot against the minority Tutsi ethnic group materialized. In just a hundred days, hundreds of thousands of Tutsis lost their lives, along with moderate Hutus and others who opposed these crimes against humanity. Today is a day to remember those innocent people, parents, brothers, sisters and friends that lost their lives and share their sorrow,"he said.
"Although we have learnt to forgive, we shall not forget. We shall keep remembering them and fight that this horrific act is never committed again anywhere in the world."
He reminded the participants that the world needs to emphasize "Never Again" and together take a stand to fight against genocide and crimes against humanity.
"It is very unfortunate that there are people and groups of individuals who still have ideologies of genocide and at the same time deliberately deny the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. This is the time to assure them to accept the reality of what happened," he said.
Major General Birhanu Jula Gelalcha of Ethiopia, Force Commander of UNISFA, said that the 21st commemoration of the Genocide must be used as an occasion to look back on the past and confront the challenges of the present by renewing collective resolve to prevent such atrocities from happening again.
"Many countries now face grave security threats. Discrimination persists in societies torn apart by war, as well as in democracies that largely enjoy peace. Hatred may manifest as institutionalized racism, ethnic strife, or episodes of intolerance or exclusion," he said.
"Our first duty is always to prevent these situations and to protect vulnerable human beings in distress. My "Human Rights Up Front" initiative seeks to prevent serious human rights violations by acting on early warning signs before they become more serious."
He further appealed to the international community to do more than just to speak about atrocities, but to take timely action to prevent them.
"I call on all to summon the courage to act before situations deteriorate based on our collective moral responsibility. This is critical for the maintenance of international peace and security," he said.
"As I said at last year's commemoration in Kigali, we must exercise "Umuganda" -coming together in common purpose - to avert what can be prevented and counter the cruelty taking place before our eyes."
Activities to mark the 21st commemoration of the Genocide against Tutsi revolve around engaging the international community on the issue of genocide denial and revisionism.
To ensure that all Rwandans participate and own the commemoration activities, in 2013, CNLG in partnership with the umbrella survivors' organization, agreed on a new approach where by commemoration at the national level would be held every five years, beginning with last year's 20th commemoration.
