'We must reject division:' UN chief marks 32 years since start of Rwandan genocide

Rwanda on Tuesday marked 32 years since the genocide that saw more than a million people massacred in the space of just one hundred days.

Most of the victims were Tutsi but Hutus and those who opposed the violence were also killed.

United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres issued a statement mourning the victims and paying tribute to the survivors.

“We must do more than remember the dead. We must protect the living, by defending truth and rejecting narratives that make violence seem acceptable. With history as our guide, and the prevention of genocide as our goal.”

He called on people to remember the lessons from 1994 and take action every day “by confronting hate wherever it appears. By rejecting distortion and division. By strengthening education, rooted in historical truth and human dignity. And by intervening before dangers spiral out of control.”

Guterres also issued a warning:

"Today, digital platforms allow hate speech and incitement to violence to spread faster and farther than ever before — fuelled by artificial intelligence and misguided algorithms.

"The genocide against the Tutsi shows us where this path can lead; when words are weaponised and the world waits too long to respond. We must do more than remember the dead. We must protect the living — by defending truth and rejecting narratives that make violence seem acceptable. The ancient toxins of racism, misogyny, antisemitism, and anti-Muslim bigotry are once again corroding our political discourse."

'Africa stands firm for peace'

Members of the African Union also commemorated the anniversary at the organisation's headquarters in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

“We remember over one million lives lost to hatred, indifference, and inaction," said AU Chairman Mahmoud Ali Youssouf.

"Kwibuka (meaning 'to remember') is not only a moment of mourning, but also a call to truth, responsibility, and vigilance.

“Africa affirms: Never again will organised hatred be allowed to become a political project," he said. "Remembrance obliges us to act, to prevent, and to defend human dignity everywhere. Africa stands firm for peace, justice, and the protection of all.”

On April 7, 1994, a day after the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi died in a missile attack on their aircraft, the moderate Hutu prime minister of Rwanda, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, and her husband were killed by Rwandan soldiers; in the 100 days that followed, Hutu extremists slaughtered hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi and Hutu moderates.