Rwandans in Turkey were joined by friends of Rwanda to mark the 26th  commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

The commemoration took place on Thursday, April 9th, in Ankara, Turkey.

The event was held virtually due to the pandemic of COVID-19. Turkey has recorded over 42, 000 COVID-19 cases and over 900 deaths, as of April 9th.

The event was joined by Embassy Staff, Rwandan Community in Turkey, Diplomatic Community and Friends of Rwanda. Williams Nkurunziza, Ambassador of Rwanda to Turkey led the event.

In his remarks, Nkurunziza informed mourners that each year Rwandans and friends time time off to unite in remembrance and renewal, not to forget what happened that would make history repeats itself.

"The darkness period for Rwandans is over, and for the last 26 years, the country has walked under the light of exemplary leadership on one of the most transformational journeys of this time,” he said.

The Ambassador also took time to thank friends of Rwanda who were able to join in virtual commemoration and for their solidarity as Rwandans remembers one of the darkest chapters in its history.

As part of the event, participants followed the recorded commemoration event that was held at Kigali Memorial Centre and the remarks by President Paul Kagame.

The event in Turkey involved also lighting Flame of Remembrance and taking one-minute silence to honor the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Participants were reminded that Rwandans commemorate to comfort the hundreds of thousands of survivors and also equally commemorate to affirm the truth of Rwanda’s history and to renew commitment to building a better future, while enhancing the unity as a nation.

Friends of Rwanda share sympathies

During the event, friends of Rwanda sympathized with Rwandans and shared their messages during such a somber period.

Prof. Dr. Sedat Aybar, a professor at Istanbul Aydin University said that as the world commemorates the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, he salutes brave people of Rwanda, whose country has evolved from recent tragic past to become a more peaceful, just and prosperous country.

"This remarkable journey of the last 26 years provides profound lessons for the entire humanity, especially in the area of post-genocide statecraft,” he highlighted.

He added: "I joined Rwandans in remembrance and honoring the memory of those who perished, to comfort the survivors and to reject genocidal ideologies in all their manifestations so as to embrace an enduring peace and to secure a better future on our planet.”

Ambassador Abdurrazaq M. Abdulqader, former Ambassador of Libya to Turkey also joined in and expressed solidarity with

"I bow in respect and honor of those who perished in the genocide,” he said.

The Genocide against the Tutsi commemoration activities will continue virtually where Skype meetings between Embassy officials, Rwandan community members and some friends of Rwanda are expected.