The Hon Minister of Education of Rwanda,
The Chairman of the Ashesi University Council,
The Founder & President of the University,
Her Excellency, the High Commissioner of Rwanda to Ghana,
Respectable Traditional Leaders,
The Staff and Students of the University,
The Rwanda community in Ghana,
Serving Military Personnel,
Rwanda Veterans and their families,
Invited Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Let me first thank the President of the University for the invitation to this important ceremony. I do so on behalf of the Ghanaian contingent as part of the United Nations Assistance Mission to Rwanda in 1994 when the genocide took place.
On May 17, 2024, I participated in one of the events commemorating the 30th anniversary of the genocide against the TUTSI at this very University. In my brief remarks on that day, I stated that more than the role I played as a person and the Contingent commander, the Ghana contingent succeeded in doing what we did because of the exceptional roles each member of the contingent played. I stand by that same statement today.
On that occasion, the President, Dr. Patrick Awuah, in his remarks, informed the gathering that events in Rwanda during the genocide, touched his conscience so much that he took a decision to move from the United States of America, where he was gainfully employed, back to Africa to help in establishing an institution that could help Africans get out of the woods. Whilst back in Africa and busily building this very university, he visited Rwanda and received a briefing from authoritative sources as to the positive contributions of the Ghanaian Contingent during those horrifying days in Rwanda. He made up his mind that our contributions should not go unrecognized.
He followed up by appealing to the Governing Council of the University and subsequently received approval for the construction of a monument at the University in recognition of what the Ghanaian Contingent stood for and their sacrifices in the course of humanity in Rwanda. I was taken by total surprise! In a quiet reflection, I said to myself that after so many years, someone was coming up to do what should have been done long ago. At the end of the event, I approached Dr. Awuah, whom I was meeting for the first time, and thanked him for his positive ideas and actions to give us recognition. The practical demonstration of Dr. Patrick Awuah’s dreams is what we are witnessing today.
Dr. Patrick Awuah, thank you so much for all your efforts, and we ask for God’s continuous guidance and protection for you. May Africa be blessed with citizens of your caliber. Through the grace of God, one of my grandsons is a student in this unique institution
As it would be recalled, at the peak of that horrifying event, the United Nations in New York was contemplating the decision to close its mission in Rwanda. I said to myself as an African General playing a leadership role on that mission, we could not turn our backs on Rwanda. To quote from my Book, Guns Over Kigali, I described the situation as “That was the period that the Rwandese needed us most. When darkness fell over Rwanda, pylons were shattered by mortar shells and power lines were cut, the people became numb from the shock of war; death no longer meant anything to them. The militia went on the rampage and massacred in the hundreds and killed in the thousands. Mutilated human bodies, charred remains of cows littered the streets as the ravenous dogs dragged dead bodies from one side of the road to the other until the flesh peeled from the bones. The sight of the carnage and the wanton destruction around us so dazed our senses.”
I therefore sought and obtained approval from the Government of Ghana to retain a residual Force in Rwanda to try and address the security situation as much as we could. With the help of God, we saved as many lives as possible and created humanitarian corridors. Some members of the Contingent paid the ultimate price during our operations in Rwanda. And as the years go by, some of our colleagues sadly have not lived long enough to see this day, but the honor is to their families.
