Kwibuka: Rwanda Marks 30 Years Since 1994 Genocide In Series of Epoch Events

Rwanda has began its anniversary marking 30 years after the horrible 1994 genocide that changed the course of the East African nation.

The genocide witnessed a mass slaughter of almost a million Rwandans, orchestrated by Hutu extremists against the Tutsi minority.

The genocide continued over a 100 days until the rebellion Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) stepped in to stop the killings.

It is of note that while the bloody killings persisted for 100 days the international community shamelessly could not help to stop it.

Paul Kagame, then leader of the RPF eventually became president and have remained in power since then.

The nation has since experienced economic growth under Kagame’s strict rule but the scars of the violence remain, leaving a trail of destruction across Africa’s Great Lakes region.

As part of the anniversary, Kagame will place wreaths on the mass graves located at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 250,000 victims are believed to be buried.

He will be flanked by foreign dignitaries including former US president Bill Clinton, who had called the genocide the biggest failure of his administration.

Kagame is also expected to give a speech at a 10,000-seat arena in the capital, where a candlelight vigil procession would be held, by Rwandans who lost their relatives, in memory of the victims of the mass killing.

Watch live coverage of the events below: