Rwanda envoy calls for focus on addressing colonialism's legacy

Discussions about reparations are often polarized, but the key issue should not be who is responsible for the past, but how the effects of the past can be addressed, Rwanda's ambassador to Azerbaijan, Charles Kayonga, said.

According to Report, Kayonga, whose residence is in Ankara, made the remarks at an international conference titled "101 Years of Belgian Colonial Injustices and the Struggle for Reparations," organized by the Baku Initiative Group.

He said steps should be taken to ensure future cooperation.

"Colonialism was not limited to the occupation of territories. It created institutions that shaped political power, social identities, economic structures, as well as patterns of inclusion and exclusion in society.

"These structures have persisted in many forms of colonialism and continue to influence governance decades after formal colonialism ended. Colonialism did not mechanically determine political outcomes, but it created the structures through which political outcomes were shaped. To achieve genuine decolonization and free ourselves from this process, these structures need to be brought to light," Kayonga said.