Former members of the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA-Inkotanyi) who were disabled during the liberation struggle have urged young Rwandans to protect the country’s achievements, saying the security, unity and development they enjoy today came at a heavy cost.

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The veterans shared their reflections during a two-day Liberation Trail Tour organised by Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), which took them to historic sites of the four-year liberation struggle that stopped the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

More than 300 former fighters took part in the tour on October 22 and 23, visiting key sites associated with the liberation struggle, which started on October 1, 1990. These included Gikoba Bunker in Nyagatare District, where President Paul Kagame, then chairman of the RPA High Command, directed military operations after the movement captured the area in 1991. Gikoba was the first territory captured by RPA forces after they broke through enemy lines near the Uganda-Rwanda border, and it became an important base for planning and directing operations.

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The veterans also visited Kagitumba, where the liberation war began; Nyabwishongwezi, where late Maj Gen Fred Rwigema, first RPA Commander, fell on the second day of the struggle; and Mulindi, also known as Umulindi w&039;Intwari, in Gicumbi District, which served as the RPF-Inkotanyi High Command headquarters from 1992 to 1994.

The veterans said revisiting the sites brought back memories of the hardships they endured as young fighters, their determination to end exile and the comrades they lost. They said witnessing the country's development since the end of armed struggle in 1994 reinforced their belief that their sacrifices had not been in vain.

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Capt (Rtd) Alphonse Nkusi, who was 23 when his unit took part in capturEof Gikoba in May 1991, described the site as a turning point in the liberation struggle.

"Gikoba was very important militarily. It was a strategic position from which the High Command could direct operations in Byumba and Mutara. It was also where we gained the morale to capture other territories from the enemy,” Nkusi said.

He added that the fighters were driven by the desire to return home after growing up as refugees in Uganda.

He recalled that many young people wondered why they could not return to their country. He said that when attempts to return home peacefully failed, the only option left was taking up arms.

"We had a cause to fight," he said. "We were fighting for the people and their well-being. Today, when I see health services, education, infrastructure and other developments, I feel happy. What we fought for has largely been achieved,” he said.

Nkusi urged young people to protect those gains, particularly by safeguarding the security that has enabled the country to develop.

"Rwanda could not have achieved all this without security. The young generation must defend what we fought for and understand that the country’s progress depends on protecting it,” he said.

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Why the tour?

Valérie Nyirahabineza, the chairperson of the demobilisation commission, said the tour was organised specifically to give the veterans an opportunity to revisit the places where they served and reflect on the ideals that motivated them.

She said the initiative was also intended to honour their contribution to the country and remind them that, despite their physical disabilities, they remain valued members of society who can continue contributing to national development.

"We wanted them to revisit the roots of the liberation struggle and reflect on the ideals that led them to fight courageously. We also wanted them to know that the country loves them and continues to rely on them, even though they were physically disabled during the struggle,” Nyirahabineza said.

She explained that the veterans had fought from different locations, while some had received orders from the High Command based at sites such as Gikoba and Mulindi. Revisiting the places helped them reconnect with their experiences and see how the areas have since changed.

Nyirahabineza said the commission had previously taken 60 disabled former fighters to the sites in May but expanded the initiative this time to reach 306 participants, including six former nurses who had cared for soldiers during the war.

The group comprised veterans living in Eastern Province, while the commission plans to organise another tour for former fighters from other provinces, potentially in early 2027.

Nyirahabineza said the visits had been emotional for some veterans who could not reconcile their memories of the battlefields with the transformed sites.

"Some were saying, ‘This cannot be the place where we fought.’ They were extremely happy. Even though they are disabled and still face difficulties, they are grateful to be alive and able to contribute to the development of their country,” she said.

She added that the veterans expressed gratitude for the unity and resilience they see in Rwanda today, saying these were among the ideals that motivated them to join the struggle.

‘I wanted to return home’

Julienne Mukarubogo, who joined the RPA on October 3, 1990, three days after the liberation war began, said her decision was driven by the experience of growing up in exile and the desire to reclaim her identity as a Rwandan.

Born in 1974, she said she had to lie about her age to join the army because recruits were generally expected to be older. She registered as 16, although she was younger.

"My family had fled Rwanda when I was still a child, and I remember us carrying our belongings on our heads. My father had also died, and I would hear people calling him an ‘Inyenzi’. I told myself that I had to stand up for him,” she said.

Mukarubogo said she joined five others, but she is the only one still alive. She said she continues to represent her departed comrades.

After entering Rwanda through Kagitumba, she underwent three weeks of training in Akagera National Park before beginning her military service. She served for seven years, mainly as a nurse, treating wounded soldiers, administering injections and preparing medical supplies.

She recalled that medics worked under difficult conditions, often setting up temporary treatment stations wherever the troops were deployed. When soldiers were wounded, operations were sometimes carried out on makeshift platforms made from banana trunks.

"We did not distinguish between men and women or say that someone was only a medic. When the enemy came, we all went to the front line. We treated the wounded, but we also fought, when necessary,” she said.

For Mukarubogo, a retired sergeant, the prospect of returning home outweighed the hardships of the war.

"We felt that we had arrived in our homeland. That alone gave us strength. We no longer wanted to live as refugees or as children of refugees,” she said.

She described her return to Mulindi as an honour, saying the visit reminded her of the sacrifices made by those who survived and those who died during the struggle.

Her message to young people was to understand the history behind the country they have inherited and avoid taking its achievements for granted.

"When young people come to Mulindi, the source of victory and cradle of the nation, they should look at where the country has reached and understand where it came from. They should not think that because we worked for it and they inherited it, they can take it for granted. If they do, it can be destroyed,” she said.

A home worth fighting for

Peter Gisagara, another former fighter who was disabled during the struggle, said the liberation sites symbolise the determination of Rwandans who had lived outside their country and wanted to return home.

He recalled entering Rwanda in October 1990 and later being wounded in battle near Gabiro. He said the hardships did not erase the importance of the struggle or the need to rebuild the country.

"East or west, home is the best. This place of entry is very important because it reminds us of the determination of those who came back to rebuild our country, including leaders and commanders who lost their lives,” Gisagara said.

He urged young Rwandans to remain patriotic and develop constructive ideas that build on the progress already achieved.

"They should be patriotic and continue building on what has been achieved. The younger generation must have good, constructive ideas and keep moving the country forward,” he said.