The Minister of Justice Johnston Busingye has urged former anti-Rwanda militias who were repatriated from DR Congo to join other Rwandans towards building their country and sustaining the gains made over the last 26 years.

Busingye who is also the Attorney General made the call on Monday, February 24 as he addressed 685 former anti-Rwanda militia and their dependants who are currently undertaking civic education and entrepreneurship programmes Mutobo Demobilisation and Reintegration Centre in Musanze District.

The programmes are part of their reintegration process into the society.

Most of them were members of terror groups such as Conseil National pour la Renaissance et la Démocratie (CNRD-Ubwiyunge) and FLN

Busingye assured them of their safety.

"You wasted a lot of your time in the last 25-years. (Now) The country counts on you; make sure you optimise the various opportunities that it provides,” Busingye advised 

He told the former fighters that the country had embarked on the ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ programme.

 "We are all Rwandans and we always ought to be united…we deserve equal rights in this country; that is the main reason we should always strive to live in harmony by respecting one another’s rights,” noted Busingye.

The former dissidents upbeat

Most of the former fighters who spoke appreciated the Government of Rwanda for its respect to human rights.

"We all thought that our fate was to be killed but it didn’t happen as we are rather being taught to be good citizens,” said Jean de Dieu Sebahutu, a former Deputy Commissioner in charge of Mobilization at CNRD-Ubwiyunge 

Cpt Theophile Munyaneza, who was a medic at CNRD-Ubwiyunge, said that; "This country has really been developed thanks to the visionary leadership of President Paul Kagame." "We are now happy as we are aware of the real history that our country went through particularly the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. It is our task to ensure the country does not go face the same history."

Mutobo Demobilisation and Reintegration Centre comprises of 280 ex-combatants, 8 political cadres, 116 civilians associated with armed groups, 81 child soldiers and 38 children dependants.

According to the centre officials, five among the members had passed away while at the centre while by February 24th while another fighter escaped the centre to Uganda.

The New Times has learnt that 31 among the fighters had had various Gacaca sentences whereby they currently held by Rwanda Investigation Bureau (RIB).