Today, Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Yván Eduardo Gil Pinto, visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial to pay his respects to the victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi.
To begin his visit at the memorial, he laid a wreath at the burial place where 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi are laid to rest.
Guided through the memorial’s exhibits, Minister Yván Eduardo Gil Pinto and other members of his delegation received an outline of the history of division in Rwanda, the causes, reality and consequences of the Genocide against the Tutsi and Rwanda’s efforts to foster a shared sense of national identity.
“We visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where we honored the victims of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, a tragedy that still has repercussions today. At least one million people from the Tutsi ethnic group were murdered by armed Hutu militias,” Minister Yván Eduardo Gil Pinto posted on the social network.
In this regard, he pointed out that the dehumanizing discourse towards the Tutsi was key to the massacre being perpetrated with impunity for 100 days under the silent gaze of the international community.
“History has taught us that genocides are preceded by hate speech against the affected populations. Before firing bullets and bombs, lies and media propaganda are fired to justify the genocidaires. The lack of action by the international community ends up burying the victims,” said the Venezuelan foreign minister.
The Kigali Genocide Memorial is the final resting place for more than 250,000 victims. Using video and pictorial presentations, the place tells of the tragedy that hit the East African nation between April and July 1994. In total, it is estimated that more than 1,000,000 Tutsi were killed during the genocide.
Venezuela’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Yván Eduardo Gil Pinto arrived on Tuesday in Rwanda, the third destination of his tour of Africa, in which he previously visited Ethiopia and Republic of Congo, in order to deepen bilateral and cooperation agreements. He is in Rwanda for a three-day official. End)