Rwandans and friends of Rwanda living in China, on Monday, gathered at the Rwandan Embassy in Beijing to celebrate the country’s 17th anniversary of Liberation.

Speaking at the event, Virgile Rwanyagatare, the Chargé d’Affaires at the embassy explained the fundamentals of liberation.

"The driving force behind the struggle for liberation was the determination to restore our dignity, full rights and hope to all Rwandans. 17 years after the liberation, Rwanda is a unified country firmly on the path to development and prosperity,” he said.

Rwanyagatare highlighted the country’s remarkable progress that justifies her place and role in global governance today, the role of the Diaspora in the development of Rwanda and national reconciliation.

He pointed out that democracy and rights of all citizens are continuously upheld as demonstrated by the large number of Rwandans who turned up to peacefully elect their leader in August last year.

"As we work towards our shared goals, it is clear that there is a change of mindset amongst Rwandans and a common understanding that liberation is a process that requires consistent efforts to fight poverty and disease, ignorance and divisionism to ensure that we determine our own destiny,” he said.

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