KIGALI, Rwanda

Rwanda on Sunday began a week of commemoration to mark 30 years after the 1994 genocide against the ethnic Tutsis.

President Paul Kagame and first lady Jeannette Kagame, alongside foreign dignitaries including several heads of state and government, laid wreaths at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where over 250,000 victims are buried.

Kagame then lit the "Flame of Remembrance" at the memorial.

The flame will remain lit for seven days at four genocide memorials in different parts of the East African nation that were added to UNESCO’s World Heritage List last September.

About 1 million people, most of them members of the Tutsi community and moderate Hutus, were killed in the genocide by Hutu extremists during a massacre within a span of 100 days.

"Today, our hearts are filled with grief and gratitude in equal measure. We remember our dead and are also grateful for what Rwanda has become. Rwanda was completely humbled by the magnitude of our loss and the lessons we learned are engraved in blood," Kagame said.

Kagame criticized tribal politics which he said is being given prominence in some parts of Africa.

"Rwanda's tragedy is a warning, the process of division and extremism which leads to genocide can happen anywhere if left unchecked," he said.

Various commemorative activities will be conducted across the country, including a march, called the Walk to Remember, followed by a night vigil in Kigali, while entertainment and sporting competitions have been suspended.

Moussa Faki Mahamat, chairperson of the African Union Commission, expressed hope that the 30th annual commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi would allow this to become a "reality never again."

European Council President Charles Michel regretted the passivity of the international community while thousands were massacred in 1994 in Rwanda.

In a message this week, French President Emmanuel Macron said France and its allies "could have stopped" the genocide but "lacked the will to do so," a significant shift in France's stance on its role in the genocide.

During his visit to Rwanda in 2021, Macron recognized France's "responsibility" in the genocide.

Kagame criticized countries offering genocide suspects safe haven, in the region and beyond.

According to Rwanda's Genocide Fugitives Tracking Unit, more than 1,000 suspects have taken refuge in various countries, including France, the US, the Netherlands, and Canada.

Former US President Bill Clinton, who took office in 1994, led the US delegation to the event.

On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying the former Rwandan President Juvenal Habyarimana and President Cyprien Ntaryamira of Burundi was downed by a rocket attack, killing everyone on board.

The plane crash triggered the massacres by Hutu extremists.