As the Rwandan Embassy in the Netherlands on Saturday held an event to celebrate the country’s 23rd liberation anniversary, the Rwandan envoy urged Rwandans residing in the country to massively participate in the presidential elections slated for August 3.

During the celebrations held in The Hague, Amb. Jean Pierre Karabaranga said that participating in the upcoming presidential election is one sure way to safeguard the country’s achievement.

According to an Embassy statement, Amb. Karabaranga told the more than 200 guests that Rwanda is no longer a case study for conflict but a model of stability, real progress and good governance.

Although there is a lot to be proud of, he said, Rwandans can not afford to be complacent.

"The journey ahead to where we want to be and where we deserve to be, is still long and demands that we work harder, double the momentum in all we do. And as we celebrate the Liberation Day, we challenge ourselves to safeguard the successes recorded while striving to achieve more.

"We’ll do so by participating in large numbers in the upcoming presidential election, next Thursday, August 3rd, 2017 in The Hague. With no doubt we’ll confirm the choice we made during the 2015 referendum. We decided to stay united. We made our choice for stability and continuity.”

In the Netherlands, the 23rd anniversary of the liberation of Rwanda was held under the theme "Together we prosper.”

The envoy, his family, Embassy staff and the Rwanda Diaspora committee members hosted guests, including Rwandan nationals living in the Netherlands, Friends of Rwanda, and others.

The programme included a wide variety of entertainment, a Rwandan live band, traditional dance performances by Inganzo cultural group.

The envoy said that, in the last 23 years, freedom, peace, security and unity have been the backbone of Rwanda’s political and social economic transformation.

"The liberation of Rwanda was not a gift handed over to us. It was not handed to us on a silver platter; it required enormous sacrifice,” he said.

"The fallen heroes paid the ultimate price during the liberation struggle. Armed with unbreakable determination to build a new Rwanda for all Rwandans, these ordinary men and women were able to do unprecedented and extraordinary acts. Today, we pay a special tribute to them.”

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