Rwanda National Police had some good news on Christmas Day; there were no major incidents, especially road accidents that had become a hallmark of the festive season.

The story is very different in many countries, and as Pope Francis said in his Christmas message God’s grace was needed in making this world fit and safe for future children.

Our region was not forgotten by the Pope in his prayers, particularly picking out Burundi and the Democratic Republic of Congo as needing special prayers. Peace has many dividends and Rwanda should be the obvious witness to the fact.

Most of what it has achieved is due to not taking peace for granted but making sure to sustain it and not spare any cost in attaining it. Peace is not served on a plate but is striven for. It needs a lot of patience, sacrifice and commitment to achieve and maintain it.

That is what most countries that are embroiled in all sorts of insecurity and instability have failed to grasp; ensuring security for everyone and not just one section of the population is the cardinal rule. In fact, in most insecure countries, it is the core source of all the troubles.

Ego, greed and selfishness is what comes out at the fore whenever insecure societies come under scrutiny, but few will swallow humble pie and admit it or even seek help from their stable peers. They instead dig in with the hope that their obstinacy will win the day.

Let all societies, from Africa to the Middle East, strive to make 2018 a year that will stand out, that no efforts were spared in trying to build a safe world for all.