The Minister of Gender and Family Promotion, Consolée Uwimana, has urged residents of border communities in Northern Province to strengthen their participation in the 'Ndi Umunyarwanda' programme to promote national unity and resilience. She made the call on Wednesday, October 14, during a Unity and Resilience Forum that examined Rwanda's journey towards rebuilding national unity and resilience in the 32 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi was stopped. The forum brought together local leaders and representatives of Unity and Resilience Clubs, religious organisations, and political parties from Musanze, Burera, Gakenke, and Rulindo districts. Uwimana said Northern Province has a unique history, as the region was formerly part of Gisenyi Prefecture, which was home to several senior military officials, including former President Juvénal Habyarimana. She noted that challenges related to national unity and resilience persist in the region—with some members of FDLR still unwilling to return to Rwanda while some residents of border communities continue to join armed groups operating in the neighbouring DR Congo. Uwimana stressed that strengthening the 'Ndi Umunyarwanda' programme is essential to consolidating unity and resilience across Northern Province. We are going to intensify our efforts in Ndi Umunyarwanda, a programme that brings us together as Rwandans and allows us to revisit our shared history, she said. The minister also called for continued efforts to prevent genocide ideology, underscoring the need to challenge the perception that the programme is intended only for leaders. This is what we are going to do: address the mindset that this programme is dedicated only to leaders, added the minister. Taking the fight against divisionism into local communities Marie-Solange Kayisire, Minister of State for Local Government and First Vice-Chairperson of Unity Club Intwararumuri, urged leaders to take a more active role in helping communities reject divisive ideologies. We have the responsibility to take these forums to those who were influenced by divisive ideologies under previous regimes, she told the participants in her remarks. Kayisire emphasised that promoting unity must become part of everyday life, urging Rwandans to identify first and foremost as citizens of one country rather than along ethnic lines. It requires more effort and must become part of our lives. We must prevent the spread of such ideologies and see ourselves as Rwandans, not Hutu or Tutsi, she said. The state minister pointed to incidents still observed in schools and cooperatives as evidence that continued efforts are needed to address ethnic divisions and strengthen social cohesion. Unity and resilience are the only choices we have, she said. She also raised concerns about young people being recruited into armed groups operating in DR Congo, calling for greater attention to the factors that make youth vulnerable to such recruitment, including school dropouts. Lessons on rejecting divisionism Déogratias Nzamwita, a Member of Parliament and former mayor of Gakenke District, highlighted how lessons from his father shaped his understanding of unity and helped guide his life and public service. Speaking during a panel discussion, Nzamwita said his father's guidance helped him reject divisive ideologies and avoid being drawn into violence. I could have become involved in killings like other young people. But my father, who was a burgomaster, helped shape the person I am today. I am now a Member of Parliament and previously served as mayor of Gakenke District for 10 years. My father was also a leader in part of the area for 20 years, he narrated. The Member of Parliament recalled how young people from different former communes, including Karago, Nkuri, and Mukingo, sometimes viewed themselves as separate groups during their school years. Youth from Karago, Nkuri, and Mukingo communes would look down on us, considering themselves a group associated with the general from Karago, while we were still at school, he said. Nzamwita's account highlighted the role families and local leaders can play in helping young people reject ethnic divisions and embrace national identity. Youth welcomed the forum Ornella Iradukunda, 23, a class representative in Electrical Animation Technology at Rwanda Polytechnic's Musanze College, welcomed the month-long discussions on unity and resilience. She said the discussions are helping young people better understand Rwanda's history and their responsibility to protect the progress the country has made. I did not know how unity and resilience are connected to the history of the Genocide, or what this history meant for people who continue to carry emotional wounds from our country's past, she said after attending the forum. Iradukunda emphasised that cooperation and the rejection of ethnic divisions were essential to national development. Working together and fighting divisionism and ethnic discrimination are important for national development. As young people, we must protect what our country has achieved, she said.
