THE Rwanda National Police (RNP) took its counselling and reconciliation programme to Kamonyi District, yesterday, where about 150 couples that had their differences settled and they were reunited.

The initiative, which has so far seen over 200 families amicably settle their differences after mediation by RNP officers, is geared toward crime prevention and ensuring community safety.

It was a moment of confessions, testimonies and forgiveness as police officers engaged the 150 couples and gave them an insight into how to solve their differences amicably without resorting to violence and breaking their families apart.

From their testimonies, most misunderstandings were related to land and property ownership, alcohol and drug abuse and family neglect,  which usually resulted into fights and separation.

The District Community Liaison Officer of Kamonyi, Athanase Niyonagira, said, through the exercise, Police supports families find long-lasting solutions to such wrangles by encouraging open dialogue and reconciliation.

"Police teams comprised of well trained counselors and partners from concerned institutions work together to provide comprehensive interventions for families experiencing abuses or situations that might burst into crime,” Niyonagira said.

"So many spouses were forthcoming and willing to share with us their challenges, and many of them vowed to work on their differences and reconcile without physically or emotionally hurting each other. This is an exercise that has been successful and RNP plans to continuously conduct it as part of efforts to ensure crime prevention and community safety.”

Couples share dark experiences

Landouard Baziyaka and Valerie Dusabe, a couple from Ruyanza Cell, said after coming forward to discuss their wrangles with Police counsellors, they agreed to respect their marriage for the sake of the wellbeing of their five children and family.

"My husband was a drunkard and often assaulted me even in the presence of our children,” Dusabe said.

"This caused trauma not just on me but on the children as well. I wanted to leave him but today we talked this through with the help of police counselors and they provided professional advice, and he genuinely regretted his actions and agreed to change his behaviour,” she added.

Baziyaka expressed remorse for his actions, saying: "I was acting selfishly by getting drunk and beating my wife for no reason. I was scared I would lose my family because of my actions. I ask my children and wife to forgive me and I will now always seek to be a protector and provider of my family at all times.”

Another couple from Nyagishubi Cell, Jean Mukamana and her husband Protogene Nyangezi, narrated how they were on the brink of separating.

Similar exercises have previously been conducted elsewhere in the country as RNP seeks to ensure community safety.