Fighting against divisionism doesn’t require the youth to be historians but understanding how far the country has come and endeavouring to preserve the achievements, Jean-Damascène Bizimana, Minister of National Unity and Civil Engagement has said.
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He said this on January 24, while making a presentation on ‘Rwanda’s journey of unity and resilience’ during the second day of the 19th National Dialogue Council –Umushyikirano.
The forum in which Rwandans including government officials, members of the public and private sectors, civil society and citizens, discuss issues of national importance, also featured a panel discussion on ‘Youth Leadership in Shaping Rwanda’s Future’.
In his presentation, Bizimana noted that in the history of the country, the unity of Rwandans was the foundation on which Rwanda was built socially, economically and in governance, however, it was distorted by colonizers who planted seeds of divisionism that sprouted during the Genocidal regime, bringing the country to ruins during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.
He demonstrated how the policy of divisionism and discrimination ruled in different sectors of the country such as education, economy and governance, leading to the killing of more than one million people in just three months and the displacement of more than two million people.
After liberation in 1994, he said, there were many issues to be handled by the new government which decided to rebuild the country based on unity, such as delivering justice, supporting survivors, repatriating refugees, ensuring security and stability, among others.
These were achieved mainly due to home-grown solutions initiated by Rwandans themselves.
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For instance, establishing Gacaca courts in 2001 tried about 1.9 million cases in 10 years, at a cost of $52 million while the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, in Arusha, only tried 75 cases in 20 years, with one case costing more than $20 million.
"The role of Gacaca in promoting the unity and reconciliation among Rwandans has been outstanding as demonstrated in 2010 by a study which showed that 83 percent of those who pleaded guilty of their role in the Genocide apologized and decided to separate from its ideology, whereas 85 percent of survivors had the courage to forgive and live with the perpetrators.”
The latest data indicates that Rwandans' unity and reconciliation rate increased from 82.3 percent in 2015 to 94.7 percent in 2020.
According to Bizimana, this was achieved through different strategies such as ethnic-based identity cards, strengthening security in the country, alternative dispute settlement programs, and decentralizing power to allow citizen involvement in the development.
As Rwanda continues the path of development, Bizimana noted that the youth is tasked to fight against anything and anyone who can distort the progress of unity and reconciliation achieved so far, stating that they are the strength and future of the country.
"Dealing with those who divide us and oppose the good leadership we have, does not require being an expert in history, it requires acknowledging how far Rwanda has come and refusing its destruction. Rwanda's youth, the baton is handed to you, be at the forefront in building on the progress achieved.”