Somali ministers here

KIGALI - A delegation of five ministers of the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia who are in the country on a four-day study tour, have hailed the progress made by Rwanda in the fields of peace, unity and reconciliation. The delegation made the observation yesterday after meeting with officials of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC). Speaking to The New Times, Somalia’s Minister of Reconciliation and Peace Building, Abdirashid Haji Deerow, said that his team was impressed by how the Rwandan government has managed to develop various aspects that foster peace, unity and reconciliation. “On behalf of the delegation, and specifically on my part as a Minister in charge of Reconciliation and Peace Building in Somalia, we are really amazed and surprised by the remarkable progress the Rwandan government has so far achieved just 16 years after the Genocide,” he noted, calling on other countries with conflicts to draw lessons from Rwanda. The delegation was briefed by the commission’s vice president, Antoine Rutayisire, on various activities and factors that have facilitated Rwanda’s rapid change. “Due to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsis, the country had no direction in terms of peace, unity and reconciliation. That’s why the government decided to establish NURC in 1999. From then on, the commission done a great job in various fields though we still have a long way to go” Rutayisire said. He mentioned that several progammes like, Gacaca courts and Ingando also contributed to the rapid growth of the country. The delegation also includes; Husein Elabe Fahiye (Reconstruction and Resettlement), State Minister for Planning and International Cooperation, Abdulrashid Sheikh Alli, Hassan Moalim, State Minister for Presidency and Khalid Ali Omar, State Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. Ends