Prince Charles announces he'll visit Rwanda, 25 years after genocide

Charles, Prince of Wales.

Prince Charles says he will visit Rwanda 25 years after the genocide that claimed the lives of nearly one million people.

The Prince of Wales announced the trip on his Instagram account and included a picture of the letter sent to the country's president, Paul Kagame.

The caption said: "The Prince of Wales has sent a letter to the President of the Republic of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, to mark the 25th Anniversary of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

"Recognised as the International Day of Reflection, April 7 begins the national commemoration period with Kwibuka (Remembrance) and concludes with Liberation Day ?on July 4, marking the 100-day period in 1994 that resulted in over one million people being so tragically killed."

Virunga volcano national park landscape with green farmland fields in the foreground, Rwanda

The visit is far from the first by a current members of the royal family.

Meghan Markle headed to Rwanda in 2017 when she was a global ambassador for World Vision.

Rwanda has seen huge economic and technological growth in recent years and much of this success has been awarded to the former RPF leader Paul Kagame, who has served as president since 1994.

Kagame has made it illegal to discuss ethnicity in the country to prevent further conflict and hate speech, trying to encourage reconciliation.

However, he has also been accused of using his power to shut down dissent and any opposing views, with many opponents meeting unexplained deaths in Rwanda and abroad, or being charged with stirring up ethnic hatred.

Also known as the genocide against the Tutsi, this genocide saw the mass slaughter of an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Rwandans in an 100 day period between April and July 1994.