A flame of hope was lit this evening at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi, Gasabo District as Rwanda marked the official beginning of preparations for the 20th anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

The Genocide torch, lit through the Rwandan traditional Urushingo method, immediately embarked on months of lap of honour through the 30 districts of the country which suffered a horrific genocide in 1994 in which more than a million people died.

The torch will ultimately return to the same memorial centre in the capital on April 7, the same day when the main anniversary event will be held, according to organisers.

Speaking at the launch of the "Kwibuka20" activities, Louise Mushikiwabo, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Government Spokesperson, invited the international community to join Rwandans in the 20th Genocide anniversary activities to help honour the victims and build a world without genocide.

A young Genocide survivor gave testimony about how he survived the killings and how he later went to school against all odds before becoming an entrepreneur.

A survivor from the infamous 1997 Nyange high school attack – by remnants of the genocidal militia – also spoke about the bravery of the students, who courageously rejected the attackers’ demand to separate themselves along ethnic lines with the intention of slaughtering all Tutsi students.

The attackers randomly killed six students on that fateful night of March 18, 1997.