UN marks 31 years since Rwanda genocide, urging global action against hate, amid fresh regional tensions in DR Congo.

The United Nations on Monday observed the 31st Commemoration of the International Day of Reflection on the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Speaking at the commemorative ceremony held at the U.N. General Assembly, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres reminded the world that Rwanda’s tragic history is a stark warning that “no society is immune from hate and horror.” He called on all countries to urgently become parties to the Genocide Convention and to take concrete steps to protect their populations from genocide, war crimes, ethnic cleansing, and crimes against humanity.

Rwanda’s ambassador to the U.N., Robert Kayinamura, emphasized that the phrase “never again” should not remain a symbolic expression. “It must guide our policies, our actions, and be a litmus test for our collective morality and responsibility,” he said.

This year’s commemoration has been overshadowed by escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, where the M23 militia—allegedly backed by Rwanda—has launched a series of attacks, seizing the major towns of Bukavu and Goma, further destabilizing the region.

Known in Kinyarwanda as “Kwibuka,” which means “remembrance,” the event holds deep cultural and emotional significance in Rwanda. This year marks the 100th anniversary of the country’s broader tradition of remembrance, though the specific genocide commemorations began in 1994.

The genocide was sparked on April 7, 1994, a day after the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi died in a missile strike on their plane. In the ensuing chaos, Rwanda’s moderate Hutu prime minister, Agathe Uwilingiyimana, and her husband were murdered by Rwandan soldiers. Over the next 100 days, extremist Hutu groups systematically killed hundreds of thousands of minority Tutsi and moderate Hutu civilians in one of the 20th century’s most horrifying episodes of mass violence.