It was one of the great horrors of the last century. On 7 April 1994, the small central African country of Rwanda descended into an orgy of slaughter and genocide.

On the orders of government ministers, the country's majority Hutu population turned on its Tutsi minority, killing 800,000 men, women and children in the course of 100 days.

With nowhere to run, an estimated 75 per cent of the Tutsi population was hacked or beaten to death in towns and villages across country by former friends and neighbours.

Hutus who failed to take part in the genocide were told they would also be killed and some 30,000 moderate Hutus were also murdered.

"If the pictures of tens of thousands of human bodies being gnawed on by dogs do not wake us out of our apathy, I do not know what will", said the then Undersecretary-General of the United Nations Kofi Annan in the aftermath of the slaughter.

Mr Annan died last year but his message was heard and acted on.

Today - 25 years since the start of the genocide - Rwanda is transformed and is seen by many as a poster child for the power of well planned economic development.

The country's economy is flourishing, life expectancy has risen by more than a third and ethnic divisions have been smoothed through policies designed to promote reconciliation and cohesion.