Military

07 April 2005

United States Notes Anniversary of 1994 Rwanda Genocide

White House urges international community to continue to help survivors

The White House April 7 released a statement recognizing the 11th anniversary of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, calling it "one of the most horrific episodes of the 20th century."

Following is the text of the statement:

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THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
April 7, 2005

STATEMENT BY THE PRESS SECRETARY

1994 Rwanda Genocide

On this day eleven years ago the world witnessed the beginning of one of the most horrific episodes of the twentieth century, the 1994 Rwanda Genocide.  A 100-day campaign waged by Hutu extremists tore Rwanda apart and resulted in the murder of at least 800,000 Tutsi men, women, and children, as well as many moderate Hutus.

We urge the international community to continue to work with Rwanda and the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to bring to justice those responsible for the genocide.  We also urge the international community to continue to assist the survivors of the genocide.

The United States joins Rwanda and the international community in this day of reflection.

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(Distributed by the Bureau of International Information Programs, U.S. Department of State. Web site: http://usinfo.state.gov)