Twenty-two years ago today, the Rwanda Patriotic Front/Army overthrew a genocidal regime and effectively stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi – an unprecedented three-month killing spree that swept the country killing at least a million people.

The Genocide also left hundreds of thousands of helpless orphans and widows in dire need, many of them with both physical and emotional wounds; an economy in ruins and a shattered social fabric, making any recovery prospects look desperate and impracticable.

Nonetheless, the liberators knew all too well that, even as the armed liberation struggle ended on July 4, 1994, the long, difficult road lay ahead: building a truly united, prosperous and free Rwanda.

Today, the fruits of that effort are there for all to see. Rwanda has not only emerged as an inspiring post-conflict country in almost all aspects of national rebuilding and development, but it is also on the march to take its rightful place in the community of nations.

The last 22 years have seen the people of Rwanda confront some of the most challenging problems in contemporary times.

Working together as a people has allowed this country to register significant successes in just a short time, including consolidating peace and security, using a home-grown justice system to adjudicate millions of Genocide-related cases; repatriating and reintegrating millions of compatriots, sowing and nurturing seeds of unity, embracing reconciliation and fraternal relations, and restoring the Rwandan identity and sense of unity among the citizens; and significantly reducing poverty and illiteracy levels, among others.

As a result, today Rwanda is a nation that’s at par with or doing better than many countries with no tragic histories in almost all human development indicators.

Indeed, this year’s liberation anniversary theme, "Together We Prosper”, could not have come at a better time.

Together, we have achieved what looked insurmountable, and, together, we can achieve far greater things and take this beautiful country to a whole new level.

Together, we ensured Rwanda did not become a failed state, together we said no to politics of ethnic divisionism or favouritism in all its forms, and together we can defeat poverty; turn this country’s landlocked status into a prosperous land-linked economy; and make EDPRS II, Vision 2020 and other future economic blueprints realistic.

Today’s Rwanda is not on the front-line, militarily. But it is, economically. As such, the liberation struggle continues, we need to completely wean ourselves off aid, continue to instill the tenets of agaciro and patriotism among the young generation, empower our people with competitive skills, and continuously improve our service delivery both in private and public sectors.

Together, we can make this country great. 

Happy Liberation Day!