Egyptian president pays tribute to Genocide victims

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, on Tuesday, visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi where he paid tribute to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In a message he wrote in the visitor’s book, President Sisi said that he feels much sorrow as he remembers the heroes and the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi. “We emphasise that life is sacrosanct and that it should not be violated. We should live in harmony, support each other and focus on dialogue of peace. We hope that mass atrocities like this will never happen again, and that peace will prevail around the world,” he wrote in Arabic. Sisi arrived at Kigali International Airport Tuesday morning to start his two-day official visit to Rwanda. He was from Tanzania which was the first leg of his official visit to four Sub-Saharan Africa countries. He will leave Kigali on Wednesday to continue his tour in Gabon and Chad. At the memorial, Sisi was accompanied by Rwandan minister of sports and culture, Julienne Uwacu and the Executive Secretary of the National Commission for the fight against the Genocide, Dr Jean-Damascène Bizimana. During the visit, the President laid a wreath on the mass graves that serves as the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide. He also observed a moment of silence in honour of the victims before being taken on a tour of the memorial while being taken through the history that led to the Genocide in which over a million people were killed. According to Egyptian officials, Sisi’s visit aims at strengthening ties between Egypt and Rwanda politically and economically. Every year, the Egypt and Middle East expo is organized in Rwanda during which products made in Egypt are showcased and it is also seen as a gateway for Egyptian investors in the Rwandan market.

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Egyptian president pays tribute to Genocide victims