The UK government has pledged £2.5 million to Aegis Trust’s Genocide Research and Reconciliation Programme in Rwanda. Survivors Fund (SURF) applauds this commitment towards the preservation of the memory of the genocide. In March 2014, SURF transferred ownership of the Kamonyi Centre, a purpose-built site for the preservation of Gacaca archives, to Rwanda’s National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG).
UK pledges more support to Genocide archiving, research
Published in New Times, Tuesday 3rd June
Through the international development Minister, Lynne Featherstone, the UK government has pledged to keep supporting archiving efforts of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
Featherstone was speaking when she visited the Ntarama Memorial site yesterday to pay tribute to victims of the Genocide as part of her three-day visit to Rwanda.
UK is providing £2.5m (about Rwf 2.8 billion) to the Aegis Trust to support its Genocide Research and Reconciliation Programme in Rwanda.
She noted that it is by remembering the events surrounding the 1994 atrocities that society can ensure it never happens again.
Remembering the Genocide is vital to making sure such horrific events are never repeated. The UK will continue supporting the important work here at Ntarama and across the country. The new archives, classrooms and peace projects the UK is funding will help ensure the atrocities are recorded for future generations and help communities come to terms with the tragedy,” Featherstone said.
She commended the country for the progress made over the last two decades in terms of reconciliation and social economic progress.
“Rwanda has made significant strides over the past 20 years and the determination of all Rwandans to unite and rebuild their country is truly inspiring,” Featherstone said.
She also took the opportunity to follow up on how UK funding is helping Aegis Trust – the organisation in charge of archives in the country–preserve the site and promote peace and reconciliation through educating people about the Genocide.
John Petrie, the director and co founder of Aegis Trust, said they had received a lot of support from the UK government through the department of International Development.
“The support that Aegis is receiving from DFID is a major contribution to the peace and reconciliation programme and it is a pleasure to host the Minister of State and be able to show how elements of the programmes are being delivered,” Petrie said.
Last week, while seeing off the outgoing DFID country manager, Mike Hammond, finance minister Claver Gatete, commended the UK government for its commitment to supporting Rwanda since the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in 1999 that shaped the development assistance.