Rwanda's government has placed growing emphasis on border security in recent years, using this term to describe the military and physical measures maintained along the country's frontiers. President Paul Kagame, the Ministry of Defense, and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs hold that Rwanda needs strong border defenses to protect its territory from regional armed groups, such as the FDLR operating in eastern Congo. Rwanda's current border defenses are meant to be temporary, lasting only until the FDLR threat is eliminated. Yet the country has a long history of permanent border defense camps known as urugerero. The first formal camp of this kind was the Munyaga garrison, located on the Munyaga hills in what is now Rwamagana District. After returning from exile in Karagwe, King Cyilima II Rujugira faced serious threats along Rwanda's borders, echoing the challenges Rwanda faces today from the FDLR in eastern DR Congo. The neighboring kingdoms of Burundi, Ndorwa, and Gisaka were preparing to invade Rwanda, backed by followers of the king's brother, Karemera Rwaka, who had allied himself with the King of Burundi. Facing these threats, King Cyilima II Rujugira decided to act. He called together his sons Sharangabo, Ndabarasa, Gihana, Mudenge, and Gashikazi, along with his daughter, Princess Mitunga. The king told his family of the enemies' plan to destroy the kingdom and stressed the need to strike first. He declared, U Rwanda ruratera ntiruterwa, Rwanda strikes first; it does not wait to be invaded. To defend the kingdom, King Cyilima II and his children formed several battalions: the Abakemba and Imvejuru, led by Sharangabo; the Abatanyagwa, led by Gihana; the Intarindwa and Ababito, led by Ndabarasa; and the Abarima, led by Princess Mitunga. The Abakemba, a royal army unit, was stationed on Munyaga hilltop to defend the southern borders of Buganza against the neighboring kingdom of Gisaka. Their name comes from the Kinyarwanda verb gukemba, meaning to cut down with force or to act with fierce intensity. Their duty was to stop enemies before they could reach the interior of the kingdom. In his article Underground Legacy: Integrating Heritage into Rwandan Development, David Nkusi calls for the protection of what he terms underground legacy. He writes that as buildings rise, roads expand, and industries grow, the risk of destroying cultural heritage increases, since taller buildings need deeper foundations, which raise the risk of damage below. Munyaga has so far avoided industrial and urban development, but its historical sites still need urgent preservation. Beyond hosting the first formal border defense unit of pre-colonial Rwanda, Munyaga is also known as the site where King Kigeli IV Rwabugiri held the final traditional National Harvest Festival, Umuganura, in 1888. This festival dates back to the founding of the Rwandan kingdom under King Gihanga and was later formalized by King Ruganzu II Ndori. It was a royal ceremony in which citizens offered their first harvest and livestock to the king in thanks for a good year. The last such celebration was held in 1888, under King Kigeli IV Rwabugiri, in Munyaga. Munyaga also contains the sacred rocks known as Agatyazamacucu, where warriors once sharpened their spears before battle. These rocks require urgent preservation. Artists should be commissioned, where needed, to help tell this story visually, so that the history of the Abakemba continues to remind future generations of the vital role border defense camps, or urugerero, played in protecting Rwanda. Near the residence of King Kigeli IV Rwabugiri lies his historic water well. This well once supplied the local population and sustained them through severe droughts, and it also fed the rivers that flowed from the area. I believe it is our duty to protect the heritage left behind by those who came before us. It lights the path ahead. Preserving the past is not simply a tribute, it is the foundation of the future. The writer is a media specialist, historian, and playwright
