The UN in Rwanda commemorates UN staff Killed in the 1994 Genocide Against the Tutsi in Rwanda

On 22 April 2026, the United Nations in Rwanda gathered in solemn commemoration of Kwibuka 32 -- the 32nd anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi honoring more than one million lives lost in one hundred days and reaffirming the world’s unbreakable obligation: Never Again.

The commemoration, held at the UNDP compound in Kigali, brought together Government officials, members of the diplomatic corps, survivors, families of fallen UN personnel, and UN staff to honor the victims and renew a shared commitment to prevention. The event was marked by reflection, testimony, and a renewed call for unity, remembrance, and action against hatred in all its forms.

Honoring Our Fallen UN Colleagues

Among those honored was Turatsinze Emmanuel, a UN staff member killed during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. His wife, Twagiramariya Agnes, was present at the commemoration event. In an act of extraordinary courage, she rose to share her testimony as a witness to loss, to survival, and to the enduring power of memory.

Twagiramariya Agnes stood before the UN Family and the assembled guests and bore witness to a road few could imagine. A road of loss, of flight, of survival, and of reconstruction. Her husband, Turatsinze Emmanuel, was among the UN colleagues murdered during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. In her testimony, she recalled the horror of those hundred days, the silence that followed, and the long, painful journey of rebuilding a life in the aftermath of unimaginable tragedy.

"I was four months pregnant and in our area like other places in Rwanda, they were hunting us one by one. My husband hid me and  that is how he died. He died so that I could live  and so that our son Rwibutso could live.”

— Twagiramariya Agnes, Genocide Survivor and Widow of Turatsinze Emmanuel.

Her words were a gift of truth — offered from a place of courage and profound dignity. Her presence reminded all in attendance that remembrance is not abstract. It has a face. It has a name. It has a voice.

When the Promise Was Broken

Speaking as the Guest of Honor, Rwanda’s Minister  of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Olivier J. P. Nduhungirehe, spoke of the weight carried by each name on the commemorative stone — UN colleagues who worked for Rwanda’s development, for the common good, and for the principles of the UN Charter.

The Minister did not shy away from naming the failure of international community in 1994. While debates raged in New York over terminology, he said, thousands of Tutsi were massacred each day. He said United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was stripped of the means to protect civilians, hence the pledge of Never Again, made after the Holocaust, was broken.

And yet, he said, even in that darkness, some chose differently. Minister Nduhungirehe paid particular tribute to Captain Mbaye Diagne of Senegal who, defying orders from New York, saved up to one thousand Tutsi lives before paying the ultimate price. In May 2014, the UN Security Council established the Captain Mbaye Diagne Medal for Exceptional Courage in his honor.

“Even in that darkest hour, there were individuals who chose courage over indifference, and humanity over fear.” Said Minister Olivier J. P. Nduhungirehe, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation. 

He also commended the Ghanaian contingent within UNAMIR and honored the diplomats at the UN Security Council — Ambassador Colin Keating of New Zealand, Ambassador Karel Kovanda of the Czech Republic, and Professor Ibrahim Gambari of Nigeria — who spoke with moral clarity when others did not.

The Minister acknowledged Rwanda’s appreciation for the UN’s positive role in the country’s unity and socio-economic transformation over the past thirty-two years, as well as the establishment of the Responsibility to Protect (R2P) principle at the 2005 World Summit.

He further warned: “the work is unfinished. Genocide denial persists. Genocidal militias like the FDLR continue to operate across Rwanda’s border in the DRC, armed and embedded within state structures — in full view of the international community that pledged Never Again, he said. Rwanda,  calls on the United Nations not to fail this region once more.” 

He concluded by invoking the words of His Excellency President Paul Kagame: “to remember the past, and the future we have committed to. A future of unity and renewal.”

A Failure We Must Never Repeat

In her opening remarks, UN Resident Coordinator a.i. Ms. Fatmata Lovetta Sesay recognized the Government of Rwanda represented by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Hon. Minister Olivier J.P Nduhungirehe, who was the guest of honor, as well as the Principal Secretary for the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement Mr. Eric Mahoro, the  representative of Ibuka Association, the survivors present, the families of fallen UN colleagues, and all dignitaries present.  At the UN Rwanda Kwibuka 32 Commemoration of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, the Resident Coordinator a.i. underscored that remembrance is a shared responsibility and a call to action. Honouring the more than one million lives lost during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, she reflected on Rwanda’s extraordinary journey of resilience, unity, and reconciliation, which continues to inspire the world. She emphasized that genocide begins with words through division, dehumanization, and silence and called for renewed global vigilance, courage, and early action to confront hate and prevent atrocities. Reaffirming the United Nations’ commitment to stand with survivors and support Rwanda’s continued path of unity and healing, she stressed that “Never Again” must be upheld not as a promise, but as a living responsibility for all.

The UN RC a.i. affirmed that the international community including the United Nations has acknowledged its failure  in the prevention of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. 

“We must say with clarity and humility: the international community failed Rwanda. General Roméo Dallaire, the UN Force Commander in Rwanda, sent urgent warnings to UN Headquarters months before the genocide began. Those warnings were not met with the response they required. The United Nations has acknowledged this failure. And that acknowledgement must continue to guide us, not as a source of shame alone, but as the foundation of a renewed and unbreakable commitment: "Never Again" not as a slogan, but as a living obligation.”

— Ms. Fatmata Lovetta Sesay, UN Resident Coordinator a.i.

Ms. Sesay also spoke of Rwanda’s extraordinary journey since 1994 — rebuilt through what she called visionary leadership, the strength of Rwandan people, and the homegrown institutions of reconciliation. She pointed to the philosophy of Ndi Umunyarwanda — “I am Rwandan” — and the Gacaca courts as expressions of deliberate homegrown national choices: to anchor identity in shared humanity, and to pursue justice, truth, and healing with courage.

She was equally firm in her call to the world. In a time of deepening divisions, rising misinformation, and hatred amplified by digital platforms, the lessons of Rwanda are not history — they are a living warning. The UN, she said, must act early, decisively, and together.

“The lessons of Rwanda remind us that: genocide does not begin with machetes. It begins with words. With exclusion. With the slow normalisation of hatred. We must be willing to name these dangers. We must confront them and act early, decisively, and together. As Rwanda has shown, taught the world: The path to peace is not easy,  but it remains the only path.” 

 She closed with a message to Rwanda’s youth:  “Be strong. You are living proof that renewal is possible, and the world needs your example.” 

A Living Obligation

As the commemoration event drew to a close, the message of Kwibuka 32 was clear: remembrance without action is not enough. The United Nations in Rwanda renews its commitment in partnership with the Government of Rwanda and all partners to supporting unity and reconciliation, advancing inclusive development, and ensuring that the memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi continues to educate and protect future generations.

“We owe this to the victims. We owe it to the survivors. We owe it to Rwanda, and to humanity.” — said Ms. Fatmata Lovetta Sesay, UN Resident Coordinator a.i

The 100 days of national mourning continue. The flame of remembrance does not go out.