Rwanda National Police (RNP) has reassured the general public of safety and security during the upcoming 22nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, but called upon the population to stand together against any form of action aimed at genocide ideology, negating and denial of the Genocide.

Every April 7, Rwandans and friends of Rwanda across the globe, join to pay tribute to over one million innocent lives massacred in just one hundred days 22 years ago. According to the Police Spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP) Celestin Twahirwa, RNP has worked with all stakeholders including the Ministry of Sports and Culture, National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG), IBUKA and all security organs to ensure that commemoration events are conducted in a calm and safe environment. "We have mapped all sites where commemoration events will be held, prepared necessary resources and ready to deploy. Besides ensuring safety, we will jointly conduct sensitization campaigns against genocide ideology in line with this year’s commemoration theme,” said ACP Twahirwa. Events to mark the 22nd commemoration will be held at Village level (Umudugudu). Throughout the commemoration week that ends on April 13, citizens will gather in all villages nationwide to reflect on the country’s history, and discuss different genocide-related topics focusing on fighting against genocide ideology. According to ACP Twahirwa, police’s security plan is drawn from experiences of the past 21 years. "We looked at the challenges that we encountered in the past 21 commemoration events and drew plans of how best we can ensure that this year’s events are safer,” he said. Among those challenges include genocide denial,genocide ideology and trauma. At least forty people were detained during the 21st commemoration week over cases related to genocide ideology. In preparation for this year commemoration, over 200 police officers underwent post-trauma counseling training.

The trainees were equipped with knowledge on causes and signs of trauma, and counseling trauma victims.

editorial@newtimes.co.rw