Martin Kobler, Chief of MONUSCO, calls for tolerance on the occasion of the Day of Remembrance of the Victims of the Rwandan Genocide

Kinshasa, 6 April 2015 – “Today, Rwanda and the whole world still remember the atrocities of the genocide committed in Rwanda 21 years ago. The commemoration of this sad page in human history is a heartbreaking reminder of the need for building peace together”, said Martin Kobler.

In 1995, the UN made an awareness raising appeal to help avert acts of genocide in future. The International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda has been commemorated every year since 2004 to avoid the mistakes of the past.

“Sowing the seeds of peace today will help avert wars and genocides tomorrow. Together, we can build a peaceful world for the future generations,” concluded Martin Kobler.

Note to Readers:

The UNSC Resolution 2211 on the DRC adopted on 26 March 2015 reiterates the call for quick neutralization of the Democratic Force for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) as a top priority that will bring stability. The UN Security Council recalls that FDLR is a group targeted by UN sanctions whose leaders and members include perpetrators of the 1994 genocide committed against the Tutsis in Rwanda during which the Hutus and other people who were opposed to the genocide were also killed; the group continues to commit killings and massacres on ethnic lines in Rwanda and in the DRC.

7 April was selected by the UN General Assembly as the International Day of Reflection on the Genocide in Rwanda.