Rwanda's outgoing Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Emmanuel Hategeka, has emphasized that bringing genocide fugitives to justice remains an urgent task, calling for international collaboration.

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During a commemorative event on May 13, 2023, in Dubai, attended by the Rwandan Community in the UAE, government officials, diplomats, and friends of Rwanda, Hategeka highlighted the unfinished work of apprehending the remaining genocide suspects. He urged all nations to actively pursue these fugitives and implement legislation that criminalizes genocide ideology.

As Rwanda commemorates the victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, more than 1,000 genocide suspects remain at large, evading justice even after 29 years, according to data from the National Public Prosecution Authority (NPPA).

Out of the 1,148 indictments and international arrest warrants issued, 1,094 have yet to be executed.

The commemoration served as an occasion to honor the genocide victims, pay tribute to the resilience of the survivors, reflect on Rwanda&039;s reconstruction, and call for a renewed commitment to "Never Again."

Addressing the 300 participants, Hategeka emphasized that the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was the culmination of a long-term extermination agenda rooted in the infamous colonial divide-and-rule policy and amplified by subsequent regimes post-independence in the 1960s, specifically targeting the Tutsi group.

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He explained, "As part of testing the genocidal plan, many Tutsi families were forced into exile without the right to return. Scores of people were killed on numerous occasions between 1959 and the climax of the 1994 Genocide."

Hategeka acknowledged that modern-day Rwanda emerged from a devastated state in 1994, with a shattered socioeconomic and political fabric, to become a united and continuously developing country with a promising future.

"We had to make very difficult choices along the way. We express gratitude for the sacrifices of selfless survivors who bestowed forgiveness upon us and embraced reconciliation. We pay tribute to the selfless men and women, led by President Paul Kagame, who fought against the genocidal regime and halted the genocide against the Tutsi," he noted.

Regarding the imperative to combat genocide denial, the Ambassador cautioned against remaining silent in the face of denial, which he described as the final stage of genocide.

"Today, we still witness groups of deniers and revisionists, sometimes masquerading as experts, who continue to spread false narratives with the aim of distorting history. The bells of hate speech continue to ring in various parts of the African continent and the world."

"This serves as a precursor to the gravest challenges humanity can face. The 29th commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi should be a wake-up call to the international community to counter genocide denial with unity and unwavering determination," he added.

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Fahad Al Taffaq, the Director-General of the Africa Affairs Department at the UAE Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation, expressed the UAE&039;s solidarity with Rwanda and the genocide survivors.

"My heart and prayers go out to the survivors who continue to endure the trauma of the genocide and to the families who lost their loved ones. As we reflect on the past, it is crucial that we commit ourselves to a future where such atrocities will never happen again. We must strive to build.