Excellency Moussa FakiMahamt, Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Excellency Dr. Monique Nsanzabaganwa, Deputy Chairperson of the African Union Commission,

Ambassador Hope TUMUKUNDE GASATURA, Ambassador of Rwanda to Ethiopia and Permanent Representative to the AU

Excellences, Ambassadors, Commissioners

Ladies and gentlemen,

The tragedy that befell on close to one million innocent citizens of Rwanda is a sore point in our history that continues to defy the imagination of humanity. The carnage that took place in those three months is a scar in the conscience of humanity. Indeed, our collective failure to protect those who were crying for help and the grim tragedy that unfolded is monumental failure that shook humanity to its core.

This occasion therefore should remain an important event to renew our collective commitment to prevent the crime of genocide in Africa and elsewhere. It should also be a moment to reflect on the effectiveness of the tools, processes and institutional arrangements that we put in place to combat genocide and the spread of hatred and genocidal ideology against ethnic, political and social groups. The enormous challenge we are facing as with the advent of cyber technology is a matter that requires urgent action. We believe that, there is a clear imperative for all of us to invest on improving governance of emerging technologies. We should unite against those who spew hatred, ethnic and religious division, intolerance and violent extremism to prevent genocide.

Excellences,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In as much as, we honor the victims with a broken heart, we take immense pride with the important strides Rwanda made over the past 29 years to rise from the ashes and build a stronger and resilient society. I would like therefore seize this opportunity to congratulate Rwanda for its efforts and achievements in building a community founded on the ideals of justice, forgiveness, tolerance, reconciliation and unity. I want to assure also Ethiopia’s unwavering support and solidarity as our Rwandese brothers and sisters make progress in their effort to build a resilient nation.

In conclusion, as we commemorate the 29^th year, allow me to stress the importance our responsibility to prevent such heinous crime from ever happening again as the single most enduring lesson of this tragedy. Hence, it is incumbent on Member States of the African Union and the United Nations to carry forward the commitment to tackle genocidal ideology at all levels. In this respect, I would like to reiterate Ethiopia’s firm commitment to work together with our Union, the international community and all other stakeholders to prevent of genocide and to ensure that impunity is not tolerated anywhere, anytime for any reason in the Member States of the African Union and beyond.

Let us “Remember-Unite-Renew”

I thank you