Kagame: Tolerance has limits if national unity is at stake

President Paul Kagame has said that while differing perspectives on Rwanda's history are natural, the country cannot remain hostage to individuals who continue to deny or distort established truths about the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. He made the remarks on Saturday, May, 27 during second part of a consultative meeting organised by Unity Club Intwararumuri on the history of the Genocide against the Tutsi and the struggle to stop it. Kagame commended Unity Club for creating a platform that allows Rwandans to engage in difficult but necessary conversations about the country's past. I want to thank Unity Club because they initiated this dialogue. The first phase focused on understanding our history, and I wanted to be part of this second phase as well, he said. The president acknowledged that building a common understanding of Rwanda's history is challenging, given the different experiences, roles, and interests that individuals have had throughout the country's turbulent past. People may have different interpretations because of where they stood in history, what they benefited from, or even the guilt they carry over what happened. That is understandable, Kagame said. However, he stressed that the most important task is overcoming those differences and seeking truths that can serve as a foundation for national progress. There are truths that cannot be changed because there is evidence and because some people have openly confessed to what they did. When someone admits their crimes, why continue debating instead of learning from that and using it to achieve the future we want? he asked. Kagame observed that many historical disputes stem from a refusal by some individuals to acknowledge wrongdoing and take responsibility. While Rwanda has allowed time and space for people to deepen their understanding of history, Kagame argued that such a process cannot continue indefinitely. That opportunity was necessary and deserved. But there comes a point where the nation must move forward. The country cannot remain a hostage to endless arguments that ignore established truths, he said. The president noted that human emotions often complicate the search for truth, especially when crimes involve relatives, friends, or people who share similar beliefs and identities. People naturally want to protect those close to them. Even when there is evidence, some attempt to deny crimes because acknowledging them may also implicate others who think or believe the same way, he said. Others, he added, fail to recognise certain acts as crimes altogether, believing that victims somehow deserved their fate. These are human realities, but as Rwandans, we must seek solutions that allow us to rise above them, Kagame said. Reflecting on Rwanda's painful history, the president said there is no escaping the atrocities the country experienced, but stressed that Rwandans have a responsibility to reject that past as their destiny. The history is ours, but we also have a responsibility to say that it was never meant to be that way. That is what independence truly means, he said. Kagame linked national identity and independence to the ability of Rwandans to build a future that inspires pride rather than shame. As Rwandans, our identity should never be something that humiliates us. That is what we live for and, if necessary, what we can die for, he said. He also defended Rwanda's policy of forgiveness and reconciliation, arguing that extending a second chance to perpetrators was not a sign that their crimes were insignificant, but rather an effort to prevent future violence. Addressing young people in attendance, Kagame urged them to understand the deeper causes that led to the Genocide against the Tutsi, warning that history can repeat itself if its roots are not thoroughly addressed. Many of you are young and did not experience this history directly. You know it through reading and learning. But what happened had many causes; political, ideological, and social. If those causes are not corrected, similar problems can emerge again, even among people who believe they are detached from that past, he said. He emphasised that young people are shaped by their environment, the values they inherit, and the examples set before them. The tragedy that happened in Rwanda was not an accident. It was the result of bad politics and a system that rewarded wrongdoing until it became normal and eventually turned into a culture, Kagame said. While external influences played a role, he insisted that Rwandans must ultimately take ownership of their history and the responsibility of ensuring that such a tragedy is never repeated. There may be some truth in saying that certain things came from outside, but I do not want us to place the blame elsewhere. We must accept our responsibility and ensure that our future is built on truth, justice, and unity, he said.

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Kagame: Tolerance has limits if national unity is at stake