29th Commemoration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi at the EAC Headquarters
East African Community Headquarters, Arusha, Tanzania, 6th April,2023: The East African Community in collaboration with the Rwandan Community in Arusha and Kilimanjaro, the Arusha Region Authorities and the UN Mechanism for International Criminal Tribunals will commemorate the 29th Anniversary of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda at the EAC Headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania on 7th April, 2023.
This year, Rwanda marks the 29th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. Themed “Remember – Unite - Renew”, the commemoration which is done annually on this date is an occasion to pay tribute to the more than one million innocent lives lost through the heinous extermination of Tutsis in Rwanda in 1994.
The commemoration will begin with a walk to remember from the East African Community Secretariat Headquarters to Arusha City Centre (Clock Tower) followed by a wreath laying ceremony led by the Regional Commissioner of the URT in Arusha, the High Commissioner of Rwanda in URT, the EAC Secretary General, and other distinguished guests.
The commemoration will therefore bring together a broad spectrum of stakeholders including local government, religious groups, Development Partners attached to EAC, Rwandans from the diaspora in Arusha, and Kilimanjaro, EAC staff, United Nations International Residual Mechanism Criminal Tribunals, University youth and school's children.
Rwanda experienced a tragedy in which over a Million innocent Tutsis were savagely exterminated in a very horrific and systematic manner, during a three months’ Genocidal killing from 7th April to 2nd July in 1994; meaning on average, 10,000 people were killed per day, yet all this happened as the entire world was simply watching.
As it has been a tradition since 29 years ago, the Governments and the people of East African Community will stand in solidarity with the Government and people of Rwanda during this trying moment.
As part of the process of taking full ownership of the annual event for the commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the EAC Council of Ministers has set aside in the EAC annual calendar of activities the date of 7th April for annual Commemoration.
“I am happy that the EAC has taken this commendable decision’, said Dr. Irene Isaka, the Director Social Sectors, having this activity under her docket.
The Director further disclosed that to ensure full ownership of the event by EAC, prior to the above Council decision the EAC Executives had put in place an EAC Internal Organization Committee for Commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda led by the Directors of Social and Productive Sectors .
The aforementioned Committee has been organising the preparations every year and is doing all it takes for the commemoration activities to smoothly take place on 7th April 2023 as planned.
It will take place on 7th April 2023 from 10.00 am to 01.00 pm at EAC Headquarters. Let us be there and render our usual support to the Community as we say Never Again to see this anywhere in our life time and in the generations to come.
For more information, please contact:
Simon Peter Owaka
Senior Public Relations Officer
Corporate Communications and Public Affairs Department
EAC Secretariat
Arusha, Tanzania
Tel: +255 768 552087
Email: sowaka [at] eachq.org
About the East African Community Secretariat:
The East African Community (EAC) is a regional intergovernmental organisation of seven Partner States, comprising the Republic of Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo, the Republic of Kenya, the Republic of Rwanda, the Republic of South Sudan, the Republic of Uganda and the United Republic of Tanzania, with its headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania.
The EAC Secretariat is ISO 9001: 2015 Certified