Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) and Defence Minister Ludovine Dedonder (PS) both made speeches calling on young people to promote tolerance and human rights during a visit to Kigali in Rwanda.
The two Ministers are visiting Rwanda as part of the country's 30-day commemoration marking 30 years since the 1994 genocide, when over 800,000 people were killed by extremist Hutus in just three months. Both Belgian politicians underlined the importance of tolerance in post-genocide Rwanda, particularly among younger generations.
"Learning to hate and reject others is at the root of all genocide," said Dedonder. "In Rwanda, hatred of others was expressed in speeches and actions aimed at dehumanising the Tutsi. This hatred gradually crystallised until it led to the genocide we know today."
Around 30 students are part of the Belgian delegation to Rwanda, and Lahbib's speech on Sunday highlighted the value of education as a "powerful weapon" to prevent "ignorance, hatred and intolerance."
"These are all ingredients that led to genocide," she said. "In a world unfortunately still characterised by many conflicts and great uncertainties, 30 years after the genocide, the duty to commemorate is more important than ever."
Foreign Affairs Minister Hadja Lahbib (MR) in Kigali. Credit: X
The students in the delegation hail from the Don Bosco school in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, the BA Stassart in Mechelen, the École du Futur in Mons and the Saint-Guidon school in Anderlecht. Dedonder sees the students' attendance as a way to send a strong signal regarding "the importance of transmission".
"The message we need to get across to our young people is to show what hatred of others can lead to," she said.
The Belgian delegation led by Dedonder and Lahbib includes the families and battalion members of soldiers murdered during the genocide. A separate ceremony on Monday honoured the 22 Belgian citizens killed during the genocide.
