South Sudanese leader Salva Kiir has returned to Juba after a visit to Rwanda to participate in Liberation Day, the day Rwandans commemorate the end of a genocidal regime.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame hosted the occasion, explaining in a speech, “On the 4th of July in 1994, the darkest part of history was brought to a close and life could begin anew.”
The Rwandan genocide was a four-month killing spree carried out in 1994 by civilians, soldiers and militia instigated by Hutu government leaders. An estimated 800,000 minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus were killed in the genocide.
The Ugandan and Kenyan presidents also participated, as did the vice president of Burundi and the foreign minister of Ethiopia.
Speaking to press after the president’s arrival at Juba Airport on Saturday, Minister in the Office of the President Riak Awan explained that Kiir’s visit also served as an opportunity to discuss integration projects within the East African Community.
He was referring to the 6th Northern Corridor Integration Projects Summit held in Kigali. This meeting discussed plans to create an international railway in the region, among other projects.
“This afternoon the president of the Republic of South Sudan has just returned home after a two days visit to Kigali, Rwanda on the occasion of the Sixth Northern Corridor Integration summit and the 20th anniversary of the liberation of Rwanda,” Awan said.
The minister noted that the purpose of the summit was to review the progress on projects earlier discussed at a summit held in Nairobi May 2014.
According to the Standard, a Kenyan news outlet, the proposed railway will connect Mombasa to Nairobi and eventually Kampala to Kigali. Another project under discussion is an oil pipeline to connect Hoima in Uganda with the Lamu port where an oil refinery will also be constructed.
The five countries cooperating on the projects are the East African Community nations of Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda and Burundi.
Photo: Salva Kiir, Uhuru Kenyatta, Paul Kagame and Yoweri Museveni during the 20th National Liberation Day in Rwanda (Twitter/Uhuru Kenyatta)
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South Sudan in ‘unfolding nightmare,’ UN chief says on Rwanda anniversary (8 Apr.)