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U.S. Department of State Office of the Spokesman Press Statement

Press Statement by James P. Rubin, Spokesman
April 6, 1999

Fifth Anniversary of Rwandan Genocide

April 6th marks the fifth anniversary of the onset of one of the most heart-wrenching tragedies of the 20th century – the Rwandan Genocide. In four short months, up to one million innocent men, women, and children were brutally murdered in what we now know was a well-orchestrated campaign of death, terror, and destruction.

The United States Government extends its condolences to the Government of Rwanda and to the people of Rwanda at this time of national mourning and remembrance. Our thoughts will be with them as they commemorate this terrible crime.

We commend the Government of Rwanda for the significant steps that it has taken to heal, reconcile, and rebuild its nation. The recently held local elections in Rwanda are one example of its efforts to foster a stronger sense of national unity.

President Clinton said in Kigali during his historic African trip last year that, "At the dawn of a new millennium there is only one crucial division among the peoples of the Earth…it is not the divisions between Hutu and Tutsi, Serb or Muslim, Arab or Jew, Catholic or Protestant, black or white… It is the line between those who embrace the common humanity we all share and those who reject it."

On this somber occasion, we recall the President’s words and encourage Rwanda to continue on the path of unification, healing, accountability, reconstruction, and reconciliation.

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