7 April 2014 - Opening UNMISS gates to thousands of South Sudanese seeking shelter was an example of lessons the United Nations had learned from its failure to prevent genocide in Rwanda, the Special Representative of the Secretary-General said in Juba today.

“The firestorm that erupted against the UN following its inaction led to change in the response of the United Nations,” said UNMISS Chief Hilde F. Johnson during a ceremony to mark 20 years since the genocide. “Out of that experience… we saw protection of civilians emerge as one of the most important anchors in the mandates of peacekeeping missions.”

In a message to commemorate the day, the Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon also referred to UNMISS actions as one of the lessons learnt from Rwanda.

“Twenty years ago, such steps would have been unthinkable,” wrote Mr. Ban. “Today, this is deliberate policy … a lesson of Rwanda made real. These situations remain fragile, but the thrust is clear: more protection, not less.”

Ms. Johnson said Rwanda had also learned from its past, lifted itself out of horror and was now helping others to deal with their own current conflicts.

“On 15 December in South Sudan, we saw what was a political crisis exploding into violence that took an ethnic turn,” she said. “Rwandese soldiers were deployed to help protect civilians from all this.”

She added that the country was also going to send more soldiers as part of the surge military force approved by the Security Council in December.

Ms. Johnson emphasized that there was no military solution to conflicts and appealed to South Sudanese to take a leaf from Rwanda for reconciliation.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Marial Benjamin said Rwanda Patriotic Front leader Fred Rwigyema had fought alongside the Sudan People’s Liberation Army during the 50-year civil war. He thanked the Rwanda community in South Sudan for supporting his country both then and during the current crisis.

Mr. Benjamin said President Salva Kiir was also in the Rwandan capital Kigali for the 20^th anniversary to show South Sudan’s “solidarity in spirit, blood and ideas”.

Similar ceremonies under the theme “Remember, unite and renew” were also held in the Warrap State capital Kuajok and Eastern Equatoria capital Torit.

“It is in the spirit of ‘Never Again to Genocide’ that Rwanda participates actively in peacekeeping support operations worldwide,” said Major Jean Damasheine, commander of the Rwanda Battalion in Torit. “Rwanda has gone through a huge transformation. It has a voice on the international stage and is enjoying respect among the most peaceful countries of the world.”