A new report by the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) has shed light on the uncertainty and fear faced by survivors of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi over the issue of fugitives who committed atrocities but continue to roam the world freely.

The report, which is set to be presented to the Senate on Wednesday November 3 indicates that a study by the commission indicated that until everyone who committed genocide is apprehended and brought to justice, survivors continue to fear that the killers may one day come to finish what they started.

The conclusion is one of the reasons referred to in the report as ‘warning indicators’, which were arrived at after the study that was aimed at analysing the challenges that are slowing down the progress of unity and reconciliation and putting in place an Early Warning System to mitigate them.

The study was conducted in seven districts, seven sectors picked in different provinces and the City of Kigali, and was based on the existing quality of views and available information.

The report also touches on the issue of compensation where it says that most survivors believe that justice will fully be served when compensation of the property that they lost is recovered and returned to them.

Justice related challenges

It also pointed out the issue of land wrangles which continues to be the basis of community and family conflict which in the end cause poverty and unending court cases.

The report raised the issue of the delay and sometimes failure to execute court judgements which it says was a challenge that continues to undermine unity and reconciliation efforts.

Education and family upbringing

The report also points out that young people who were never given the right education on the history of the country are uninterested in patriotism and are not equipped with the right information that teaches them about the nation’s forefathers and the values on which they built Rwanda.

"As a result, the young find themselves on the wrong side of history. This is especially because some teachers themselves don’t have the right information or sometimes have a different understanding and later a misrepresentation of the events from the past,” the report explains.

Just like last year, the report indicates that 26 years since the Genocide against the Tutsi, there are still parents who continue to plant seeds of divisionism into their children.

Rwandans applauded

Meanwhile, the commission applauded Rwandans for their improved understanding of trauma and the effects it has on their social wellbeing.

It also acknowledged the inmates who are on the road to reconciliation where they have been visiting survivors and seeking their forgiveness.

The report reminded the need to continue sensitisation programs especially on the grassroots level of administration and other service providers to understand how to handle trauma cases in case they arise.

The commission requested for renewed efforts in decentralising more centres where social and trauma healing can be done.