President Cyril Ramaphosa of South Africa on Saturday, April 6, arrived in Kigali where he joined other leaders including South Sudan President Salva Kiir, Czech Republic President Petr Pavel, President Andry Rajoelina of Madagascar, Ethiopia’s Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, and Mauritanian President Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, for the 30th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi starting on Sunday, April 7.

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April 7 marks the beginning of a week-long series of events to honour the memory of the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed the lives of more than one million people in 100 days.

Earlier, on Friday, UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay who also traveled to Kigali for Kwibuka 30 handed over official certificates to four Genocide memorial sites in Rwanda that were added to the World Heritage List in 2023. The memorials are some of the final resting places of victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that claimed the lives of more than one million people in a period of three months.

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To commemorate the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the World Jewish Congress (WJC), an international organization representing Jewish communities in 100 countries to governments, parliaments and international organizations, on April 6 also released a statement underlining its solidarity with Rwandans.

The WJC statement read: "The World Jewish Congress, on behalf of more than 100 affiliated Jewish communities from around the world, extends its solidarity on the solemn occasion of the 30th anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. Our thoughts are with all those affected by this tragic chapter of history – the victims, the survivors and their descendants. We honor the lives lost as well as the enduring strength of those who survived.

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