Caption: Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi (left) and Chinese President Xi Jinping pay their respects to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. (Courtesy)

Chinese President Xi Jinping and India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi have paid tribute to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi by laying wreaths on at Gisozi Genocide Memorial site where over 250,000 victims are laid to rest.

The two leaders were, this week, on separate two-day official visits as they sought to strengthen relations between Rwanda and their respective countries.   

"Take history as a mirror, cherish peace. I pay my respects to the victims of the genocide,” Xi wrote in a guestbook at the Kigali Genocide Memorial Centre on Monday, July 23, 2018.

The 1994 genocide against the Tutsi claimed over a million lives in just 100 days, making it the worst ethnic massacre the world has ever experienced.

For Narendra Modi, his visit to Kigali Genocide Memorial has been a deeply moving experience.

The Genocide in Rwanda, Modi said, was a grim reminder of the worst aspects of humanity.

Moreover, the Prime was inspired by the spirit of Rwandan people who have managed fight the genocide ideology and discriminatory politics through a reconciliatory and peaceful path.

"Rwanda’s response, as a nation, to this tragedy [genocide] has been one of restraint, reconciliation and peace. I salute this conscious effort of Rwanda Government and the indomitable spirit of the people of Rwanda. May the departed souls rest in peace,” Modi observed in a message he left at the Memorial today.