Ceremonies were held across the country, including in the capital Kigali, were
throusands of candle spelt out the word "hope". Dignitaries and ordinary
citizens queued up to light candles, with several people so overcome by
emotion that they had to be carried out.
Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, said preventing further violence was a
"collective responsibility".
Barack Obama, the US president, said the memory of the genocide in Rwanda
should deepen the commitment of the United States and its world partners to
never let such atrocities happen again.
The Rwandan genocide began on April 6, 1994. More than 800,000 Tutsis and
moderate Hutus were shot, clubbed and hacked to death in some 100 days by
extremist Hutu militias.
The killings took place three years after Belgian troops withdrew after an
attack by the Rwandan militia that left 10 peacekeepers dead.
In a statement, Mr Obama said the figure of 800,000 was so daunting it risked
becoming a statistic. He said it must be remembered that every one of those
people who died "had their own story, their own family, and their own
dreams."
Mr Obama said the US was committed to lasting peace in Rwanda. He praised
survivors for remarkable strength.
