Musanze - 202 of the 303 ex combatants who abandoned rebel activities in the  Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), have completed a two-month demobilisation and reintegration course at Mutobo Demobilisation Centre, in Musanze District.

The ex combatants included 11 officers and four women, from various rebel groups operating in the Eastern DRC.  

Speaking at the occasion, the Chairman of the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), Jean Sayinzonga, assured the ex-combatants of their rights and benefits as demobilized soldiers in Rwanda.

Sayinzoga urged the ex combatants  to embrace the current peace prevailing  in the country, in order to take up development projects since they had acquired basic lessons like entrepreneurship training as well as being acquainted with the national development programmes.

The group included the former head of military operations of the rebel outfit RUD operating in the North Kivu, Colonel Martin Nzitonda, who defected along with 17 others from his unit.

Nzitonda accused the rebel leaders holed up in various western capitals of harbouring genocidal ideology. They include Munyarugerero Emmanuel, Higiro Jean Marie Vianney and Nsengiyunva Hycinthe.  

The Governor of Northern Province, Aime Bosenibamwe, challenged the ex combatants to change their ideological mindsets by embracing the national policies of peace, unity and reconciliation.

The ceremony was attended by diplomats, including the Japanese Ambassador, Kunio Hatanaka, Alice Kipembe Bamba from the Congolese embassy as well as Herve Hesse an officer of United Nation’s programme on disarmament, demobilization, repatriation, rehabilitation and reintegration section in Congo. 

Ends