Rwanda begins 100 days of mourning in commemoration of genocide

Rwanda began commemorating the 25th anniversary of the genocide that killed a tenth of the nation's population on Sunday.

Rwandans will reportedly mourn for 100 days, which was the amount of time it took for 800,000 Rwandans to die in the genocide. The killing spree began in 1994 after President Juvenal Habyarimana and his counterpart from Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira — who were both ethnically Hutu — were killed when their plane was shot down. The attackers were never identified, but Hutu extremists began massacring minority Tutsis in retaliation. "Moderate" Hutus also faced persecution.

President Paul Kagame, who led the rebel force that ended the genocide, launched the commemoration service by lighting a remembrance flame at a genocide memorial in the capital city, Kigali. Kagame said the resilience and bravery of genocide survivors represented the "Rwandan character in its purest form." Watch Kagame light the flame below. Tim O'Donnell

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