The Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) recently kicked off its annual Army Week activities to coincide with the 21st Liberation Anniversary that will be celebrated tomorrow. It is no coincidence the major activities will be held in the northern part of the country, in Gicumbi District, to be specific. The localities around the district were the cradle of the liberation struggle; the launch pad to bring fundamental change to Rwanda, spearheaded by the RDF’s predecessor, the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA), the armed wing of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF). Many socio-economic activities have been going on; schools and health centres have been built and free medical services to the local population rolled out. For those who lived behind the RPF lines, they are no stranger to the military-civilian relations that were nurtured throughout the struggle. So, for many who benefited from that close relationship in the early years and today have schools and health centres at their doorsteps, it is a manifestation that their contributions to the liberation was not in vain. RDF’s active involvement in the social wellbeing of the population has not only been reserved to its former theatre of operations, but it’s been spread to other corners of the country. The liberation of the country did not end with the capture of power; it was the beginning of another role in rebuilding the nation in all spheres by liberating the people from poverty, disease and lack of skills. That is the journey the RDF, in collaboration with other stakeholders, has embarked on. And the journey continues.
