Why is it in news?

• President Kagame said the country is more united than ever before, after more than 800000 people were killed in a genocide that shocked the world.

Details:

• Mr. Kagame lit a remembrance flame at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, where more than 2,50,000 victims are believed to be buried, mainly from the minority Tutsi people, as the country began its annual 100 days of mourning that coincide with the length of the slaughter.

What is Genocide?

• Genocide is the deliberate and systematic destruction, in whole or in part, of an ethnic, racial, religious or national group.

1994 Rwandan Genocide

• The Rwandan genocide, also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, was a mass slaughter of Tutsi in Rwanda during the Rwandan Civil War, which had started in 1990.
• It was directed by members of the Hutu majority government during the 100-day period from 7 April to mid-July 1994.

Tutsi People:

• The Tutsi, or Abatutsi, are a social class or ethnic group of the African Great Lakes region. They reside primarily in Rwanda and Burundi, but with significant populations also found in Uganda, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania.