27 May 2023 - The Rwandan community and friends of Rwanda in Queensland, Australia came together to mark the 29th commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda.

Speaking on behalf of the High Commissioner of the Republic of Rwanda to the Commonwealth of Australia, Bertin Mugiraneza, First Secretary for Consular Affairs, stressed the importance of intensifying efforts to combat genocide ideology and denial, and fostering unity.

He commended the Rwandan Community in Queensland for their unwavering commitment to preserving the memory of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda by hosting annual commemorative events.

Taylah Wooten Stokes, the daughter of Miles Wooten, an Australian peacekeeper who served in Rwanda after the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, said that while she did not witness the impact of the genocide first-hand, her father’s experiences in Rwanda, which he shared openly with her as a child, gave her a deep sense of empathy and connection with Rwanda and its people.

Janvière Dusabinema, a survivor of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, described the horrors she and her sister endured during the 100 days of genocide at the hands of the Interahamwe militia and the FAR (former government soldiers) before being rescued by the Inkotanyi RPF.

“A Genocide took place in Rwanda,” Dusabinema stressed, before adding, “Those who deny this reality are hindering the healing process and perpetuating the pain of the survivors. Let them know that their attempts will not succeed”.