British legislators tour Kigali Genocide memorial centre

Members of Parliament from the United Kingdom yesterday toured the Kigali Genocide memorial at Gisozi to pay homage to the over 250,000 victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi burried there. During the tour, the four legislators who included former UK International Development Secretary Andrew Mitchell, were particularly moved when they got to the children’s wing at the memorial. The MPs were overwhelmed by pictures of the toddlers that were hacked to death during the Genocide. “It was a very moving experience and particularly when visiting the room of the young children who were butchered,” said Mitchell. The lawmakers, whose visit comes just days ahead of the 20th Genocide Commemoration, came under the umbrella of the Global Parliamentary Network (GPN). “The Genocide against the Tutsi should send a powerful message to the current and future generations that genocide ideology is bad and should never be allowed to prevail,” Mitchell said. He added that there should be no safe haven for those who violate international law and abuse the right to life. Mitchell congratulated Rwanda for taking the lead in championing the right to life, citing the unity and reconciliation that has been entrenched in the country’s social fabric over the past two decades. One of the MPs could barely speak after going through the whole experience at the memorial. “It was terrible seeing neighbours murder fellow neighbours,” Meg Hillier said.

National

British legislators tour Kigali Genocide memorial centre