{"id":121732,"date":"2026-04-10T12:01:38","date_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/nduhungirehe-urges-youth-to-safeguard-unity"},"modified":"2026-04-10T12:16:21","modified_gmt":"2026-04-10T12:16:21","slug":"nduhungirehe-urges-youth-to-safeguard-unity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/nduhungirehe-urges-youth-to-safeguard-unity","title":{"rendered":"Nduhungirehe Urges Youth to Safeguard Unity"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Foreign affairs minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has urged young people to recognise the value of growing up in a non-discriminatory nation and to actively protect it.<\/p>\n

He made the remarks during the 15th edition of Our Past Initiative on Thursday, April 9, which brought together more than 5,000 youth, members of the diplomatic corps, and government officials to mark the 32nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi at Nyanza Genocide Memorial.<\/p>\n

Addressing the gathering, Nduhungirehe echoed a message of history, responsibility, sustainability, and vigilance.<\/p>\n

Thousands of youths during Our Past commemoaration event, at Kicukiro-Nyanza Genocide Memorial<\/p>\n

While education is now used as a pillar for inclusion and development, Nduhungirehe reflected on how it was once weaponised to divide Rwandans, particularly targeting young people through teaching genocide ideology and shaping a generation through discrimination and exclusion.<\/p>\n

Today\u2019s youth, many of whom were born after the genocide, he said, must not take the country\u2019s progress for granted.<\/p>\n

\u201cYour presence here and in a peaceful country where no one attacks anyone because of how they were born should not be taken for granted,\u201d he told the gathering, urging them to remain conscious of the journey that made such a reality possible.<\/p>\n

Thousands of youths follow Minister Nduhungirehe’s remarks during Our Past commemoaration event, at Kicukiro-Nyanza Genocide Memorial.<\/p>\n

Even though Rwanda has made significant progress through unity and reconciliation efforts such as Ndi Umunyarwanda, Nduhungirehe cautioned that the threat of genocide ideology and denial persists, especially beyond the country\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n

He challenged the youth to become active custodians of unity, rejecting divisive narratives and confronting harmful ideologies wherever they appear.<\/p>\n

\u201cAs youth, you should embody unity, promote harmony, and reject genocide ideology and discrimination,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

Nduhungirehe further placed responsibility on young Rwandans to engage their peers in the diaspora, where cases of denial and revisionism still surface.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe should face the youth in the diaspora who still show genocide ideology. We must tell them that what happened will never happen again in Rwanda. This is our responsibility,\u201d he emphasised.<\/p>\n

He also underscored a message of openness, encouraging those shaped by the legacy of perpetrators to return and contribute to rebuilding the nation.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou should also tell the youth in the diaspora that choosing genocide denial leads nowhere. Rwanda remains open to them, even for those carrying the weight of their families\u2019 past. They can come back, and we will build our country together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n

\u201cCommemoration is not about calling the world to cry with us. When we say \u2018never again,\u2019 we mean learning from our history, tracing back to 1959, shaped by discrimination and hate speeches,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n

He warned against the dangers of ignoring early signs of hate, drawing parallels to ongoing rhetoric in parts of the region, particularly eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where similar narratives continue to emerge.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe cannot commemorate while allowing what led to the genocide to happen in the open,\u201d he emphasized.<\/p>\n

According to Our Past Initiative officials, this year marked the 15th edition of their commemoration events, reflecting the growing role of youth in preserving Rwanda\u2019s history and shaping its future.<\/p>\n

Christian Intwari, the Founder of Our Past Initiative, said that what began as a small gathering of about 200 young people has grown into a movement engaging over 10,000 youths.<\/p>\n

The initiative has expanded into tangible acts of solidarity, such as building homes for genocide survivors, increasing from one house annually to six, alongside other community-driven efforts, as well as a continuous journey of learning the country’s history.<\/p>\n\r\n