EDITORIAL: Genocidal mindsets have no place in today's Rwanda

The third Rwanda Reconciliation Barometer report, released this week, shows a lot of fruits of the deliberate unity and reconciliation efforts that the country has been preaching since the worst chapter of the country’s history was closed some 22 years ago. The survey, conducted by the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, shows that up to 92.5 per cent of Rwandans feel that unity and reconciliation has been achieved and that citizens live in harmony. Such a report would give many a leader satisfaction, but Rwanda’s leaders should be above that. They know every rose comes with a thorn and will be asking tough questions, starting with why 7.5 per cent of citizens are not satisfied with unity and reconciliation efforts. More shocking is that 22 years since the country was run through the devil’s workshop, there are still people who nurse genocide ideals. The survey indicates that 22.5 per cent of Rwandans strongly believe there are people who would still commit genocide if conditions allowed. Although, on the good side, this figure is nearly half a percentage decrease from the last barometer report, with all the socio-economic and political transformation since the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, it is still appalling. There is need for more concerted efforts and deliberate actions aimed at fine-tuning the mindset of citizens for the common good of the nation. The ‘never again’ quest should not be a mere slogan but an impactful message. Ethnicity is not something that should be lingering in any mindset today. The Rwanda Reconciliation Barometer is indeed food for thought. There is need to find out the reasons for such negative mindsets and fix them. Negativity is like cancer; if left to linger for long, it will spread to surrounding areas of infection. The positive gains Rwandans are enjoying now should have no room for anyone frowning.

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EDITORIAL: Genocidal mindsets have no place in today's Rwanda