This week, two poignant reports were released that were on different parts of the divide as far as social cohesion was concerned. The first was a study carried out by the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) on the state of unity and reconciliation in the country. It revealed a high score of over 80 percent. The authors of the report, however, pointed out that the continuous attacks on the country by external forces threatened the gains of unity and urged everyone to pull their weight in protecting the well-being of its citizens. So, in other words, Rwandans’ unity was solid but they needed to guard against foreign interference. Another report, this time by the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide, reported that this year’s commemoration of the Genocide reported more cases of the Genocide ideology than the previous year. This is an indication that although the country had gained leaps in building national cohesion, some bad apples were still in the basket and needed to be gotten rid of. The external forces that the NURC says were a threat to unity are made up of those who played a role in the Genocide and their backers. They will do all in their power to embed their crooked ideology by targeting soft spots in our society. The most at risk are the youth who can be easily swayed by zealous and seasoned manipulators. As long as we still have in our midst people with the Genocide ideology under their shirts, our first line of defence should be shielding the youth from the poison.
