Thirty-seven years ago, during the congress held on August 17–20, 1988 in Washington, members of the Rwanda Patriotic Front (RPF) living in diaspora solidified a definitive shift. Having succeeded the Rwandese Alliance for National Unity (RANU,) the movement resolved that because peaceful diplomatic advocacy had failed to restore their right to repatriation, an organised military campaign was the sole remaining option. The Washington congress reinforced a decision that was discussed at the Kampala Congress, held on December 26-27, 1987, in which members reorganised and renamed the movement from RANU to the RPF-Inkotanyi, to broaden its scope, update its objectives, and step up political and military preparations for returning to Rwanda. Major General Fred Gisa Rwigema served as the founding president and chairman of the movement, guiding its early political and military organisation before leading the 1990 offensive into Rwanda, where he tragically died on the second day of combat. It was during this Kampala Congress that the RPF-Inkotanyi established its foundational eight-point programme. These eight principles included restoring unity among Rwandans, defending the sovereignty of the country and ensuring the security of people and property, establishing democratic governance, and promoting the economy by leveraging the country's natural resources. The principles also included eradicating corruption, favoritism, and embezzlement of national resources, enhancing social welfare, addressing the root causes of displacement and repatriating Rwandan refugees; as well as cultivating international relations grounded in mutual respect, cooperation, and beneficial economic partnerships. It is evident that the foundational platform of the RPF-Inkotanyi comprised eight principles, not the current nine. What historical context or factors prompted the subsequent inclusion of fighting genocide and its ideology as a ninth tenet? Notwithstanding the prevailing government's policies of ethnic segregation, severe oppression, and violence, members of the RPF-Inkotanyi could not have anticipated the scale of the 1994 genocide when they first drafted the eight-point programme. They knew how brutal the then government of Rwanda was, but they could not believe what they witnessed. The scale of the genocide against the Tutsi took them by surprise. To ensure they were never caught unprepared again, the RPF-Inkotanyi decided to expand its original eight-point political programme into a nine-point programme, adding a specific focus on fighting genocide and its ideology. What does fighting genocide and its ideology actually mean in practice? President Paul Kagame, Chairman of the RPF-Inkotanyi, spoke to this matter during his visit to Bloomfield, Connecticut, on March 12, 2013, where he officially opened the Genocide and Holocaust Education Initiative at the Maurice Greenberg Center for Judaic Studies. The people of Rwanda have stood up against all forms of injustice and defended human dignity in the past and will continue to do so because our resolve is steadfast. This conviction and our history have made the combat against genocide and ideologies that support it anywhere in the world a moral obligation for us. The Chairman was unambiguous on this matter: combating genocide ideology, both within Rwanda and beyond its borders, is a binding obligation and a deeply held belief for the RPF. This explains why, while much of the international community stood by, Rwanda acted, airlifting humanitarian supplies to Gaza to express solidarity with the victims of the conflict and strengthen global relief efforts. This also explains why President Kagame refuses to remain silent while the Banyamulenge are massacred on a daily basis amidst global indifference. It is why Rwanda was the very first foreign force to deploy to Darfur in 2004 under the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), to halt widespread violence and protect the displaced population. The RPF has undeniably succeeded in fighting genocide ideology. This success points to a broader global need: elevating the fight against genocide ideology from an optional foreign policy on paper to a shared, actionable moral duty. United by this shared moral duty, the global community can prevent atrocities in regions like Darfur, Minembwe, and anywhere else, ensuring no nation can carry out mass killings with impunity. The writer is a media specialist, historian, and playwright.
