International
Rwanda begins the commemoration of the thirtieth anniversary of the 1994 genocide
Rwanda began this Sunday the hundred days of mourning established by the country to commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the 1994 genocide in which more than 800,000 moderate Tutsis and Hutus were killed, a massacre that still shookes the world and Rwandan society.
To begin the commemoration, the country’s president, Paul Kagame, lit accompanied by the first lady, Jeannette, the traditional flame of remembrance at the Center in Memory of the Genocide in the capital, Kigali, where more than 250,000 victims of the massacre lie in mass graves.
In a solemn act with moments of silence only interrupted by the commemorative songs singed by a military band and by the protocol instructions, a dozen heads of state and government paid their respects to the white cement blocks where the graves of the victims are housed.
Among the leaders present were the Prime Minister of Ethiopia, Abiy Ahmed, and the presidents of South Africa, Cyril Ramaphosa; Central African Republic (RCA), Faustin-Archange Touadera; Madasgascar, Andry Rajoelina; South Sudan, Salva Kiir; Republic of the Congo, Denis Sassou Nguesso; Tanzania, Samia Suluhu Hassan; and the Czech Republic, Petr Pavel.
Likewise, the head of state of Mauritania and current president of the African Union (AU), Mohamed Ould Ghazouani, and the president of Israel, Isaac Herzog, attended on the same day that it is precisely six months since the beginning of the war in the Gaza Strip, for which Tel Aviv faces accusations of genocide in the International Court of Justice (ICJ).
Several former presidents, including the American Bill Clinton or the French Nicolás Sarkozy, as well as the president of the AU Commission, Moussa Faki Mahamat, and the president of the European Council, Charles Michel, also traveled to Kigali to join the memory acts.
The commemoration program that starts today throughout the country includes the prohibition of large celebrations, such as weddings or sports competitions, and the organization of concerts and other cultural or leisure events not related to genocide in bars and public spaces.
In addition, within the framework of these events, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has issued new certificates to register four other monuments commemorating the genocide as world heritage sites, in Kigali, Bisesero (west), Nyamata (southeast) and Murambi (south).
“This means the international recognition that what happened in Rwanda is a tragedy, not only for Rwanda but also for the entire international community, all of humanity,” the director general of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay, told the press on Friday.
The one hundred days of mourning marked by the Rwandan Government will conclude on April 13 with an act at the Center for the Memory of the Genocide of Rebero (Kigali), in memory of the politicians who were killed for opposing the massacre.
The genocide began on April 7, 1994 after the murder the day before of the presidents of Rwanda, Juvénal Habyarimana, and Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira (both Hutus), when the plane in which they were traveling was shot down over Kigali.
The massacre that followed – the Rwandan Government accused the Tutsi rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) of the murder, against whom it had been waging a war since 1990 – caused the death of at least 800,000 moderate Tutsis and Hutus in just over three months.
The genocide was one of the worst ethnic killings in the recent history of humanity.
Paul Kagame warned this Sunday in his speech that the conditions for an ethnic killing can occur anywhere if they are not controlled.
“The process of division and extremism that leads to genocide can occur anywhere if it is not controlled,” the president said in a forceful intervention before about 3,500 people gathered at the imposing BK Arena stadium in Kigali.
He defined any “ambiguity” about who were the victims of the genocide as “a form of denialism, which constitutes a crime.”
The president referred to the situation in the east of the neighboring Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), whose Kigali Army he accuses of supporting the rebel group Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), founded in 2000 by leaders and other Hutu Rwandans exiled in that country.
“The remains of those forces (perpetrators of the killing) are still in the east of the Congo today,” Kagame said, assuring that they have the “full support of the blue helmets of the United Nations” and that “their objectives have not changed.”
International
Five Bodies Found in Ecuador as Police Probe Suspected Gang Turf War
Ecuadorian authorities are investigating the deaths of five people whose bodies were found inside a rural home, in what police believe may be linked to a territorial dispute between organized criminal groups.
The victims, aged between 21 and 30, were discovered Tuesday in the town of La Troncal, in the Andean province of Cañar. Police reported that two of the bodies were bound with wire, while a burned-out vehicle was found outside the residence.
Investigators said graffiti on the walls of the house included messages such as “Lobos territory” and “Lobos active,” suggesting a possible connection to the criminal organization known as Los Lobos.
Police believe the killings were likely the result of a conflict over territorial control between rival gangs.
The discovery came on the same day authorities arrested a former mayor in the neighboring province of Azuay. Officials identified him as the alleged main financial backer of Los Lobos, one of Ecuador’s most powerful criminal organizations.
Ecuador has experienced an unprecedented surge in violence in recent years, driven by criminal groups involved in drug trafficking, illegal mining, kidnapping, and extortion.
According to Insight Crime, the country recorded 51 homicides per 100,000 inhabitants in 2025—equivalent to roughly one killing every hour—making it one of the most violent countries in Latin America.
International
Georgia Teen Sentenced to Life Without Parole for Deadly School Shooting
A Georgia teenager who killed four people in a 2024 school shooting was sentenced Tuesday to life in prison without the possibility of parole after pleading guilty to the attack.
Colt Gray, now 16, admitted to opening fire at Apalachee High School in Winder, about 70 kilometers (45 miles) northeast of Atlanta. He was 14 years old at the time of the shooting.
The attack claimed the lives of two students and two teachers, while nine other people were injured. Despite being a minor when the shooting occurred, Gray was prosecuted as an adult.
During the sentencing hearing, Judge Nicholas Trimm acknowledged the failures of the teenager’s family but said they did not excuse his actions.
“Your parents failed you. Your family failed you. But that does not absolve you,” the judge said.
Trimm also rejected any suggestion that the shooting was motivated by bullying or personal grievances.
“You were not bullied at Apalachee. This was not driven by hate. You didn’t know anyone at that school. It was simply the desire to commit a notorious act,” he told Gray.
The case also led to the prosecution of the shooter’s father, Colin Gray, who was convicted in March of voluntary manslaughter and involuntary manslaughter. The case marked one of the first instances in which a parent was held criminally responsible for a mass shooting carried out by their child.
Prosecutors said Colin Gray had given his son an AR-15-style rifle as a Christmas gift in 2023, despite being aware that the teenager had previously threatened to carry out a school shooting.
Authorities said the same rifle was used in the attack less than a year later. Months before the shooting, FBI investigators had alerted local law enforcement after receiving reports of online messages linked to the Gray family’s internet address that referenced plans for a school massacre.
The case reflects growing legal scrutiny in the United States over the responsibility of parents whose children commit acts of gun violence.
In a similar case, the parents of a Michigan teenager who killed four people at his high school in 2021 were convicted of involuntary manslaughter in 2024 and sentenced to prison terms ranging from 10 to 15 years.
According to U.S. health authorities, firearms have been the leading cause of death among children and teenagers in the United States for several years.
International
Portuguese Authorities Seize 2.6 Tons of Cocaine Worth More Than $550 Million in Drug Bust
Italian financial police reported Monday that Portuguese authorities intercepted a speedboat carrying more than 2.6 tons of cocaine, with an estimated street value exceeding $550 million.
Four people — two Spanish nationals, one Albanian citizen, and a man from Gibraltar — were arrested in connection with the operation, according to Italian authorities.
The vessel was intercepted off the coast of Lisbon by Portugal’s maritime police following an investigation led by Italian authorities.
Italian financial police estimated that the seized shipment had a street value of approximately 500 million euros ($570 million), making it one of the largest drug seizures reported in the region in recent years.
Portuguese authorities said the interception took place on Thursday, about 90 kilometers (50 nautical miles) southwest of Cape Espichel, during an operation targeting international drug trafficking routes.
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