KIGALI - President Paul Kagame, yesterday, lit the Flame of Hope at the Gisozi Genocide Memorial site as part of this year’s events to mark the 16th Commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

Kagame, together with the First Lady, Jeannette Kagame, top government officials and youth also laid a wreath at the site before proceeding to Amahoro National Stadium where official commemorations were held.

The Flame of Hope will be lit for the next 100 days in memory of the period in which over one million people were killed.

Freddie Mutanguha, the Director of the Memorial Centre, noted that ever since the centre was established, hundreds of thousands from within and outside the country have visited it.

"The site is a mass grave of over 250,000 victims and it receives a multitude of students who come to learn about the history of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,” he said.

Mutanguha also said that in the near future, the site will be expanded to accommodate more visitors and students who come to learn about this history.

Speaking to The New Times, Mutanguha said that once cabinet approves this proposed plan, he will need approximately Rwf 6bn.

"This site will be able to accommodate more people and better learning facilities, an auditorium and amphitheatre,” he said.

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