LONDON - Rwanda’s Ambassador’s to the United Kingdom and Republic of Ireland, Claver Gatete, has said that the ultimate aim of his government is to deliver true liberation to the Rwandan people.

Ambassador Gatete was speaking in London on Saturday, July 5, at an event organised by the Rwandese Community Association in the UK to celebrate Rwanda’s Independence and Liberation Day. 

The Rwandan envoy emphasised that although the liberation war waged by the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) between 1990 and 1994 was successful in restoring nationality rights to all Rwandans, true liberation will only come when Rwandans are free from poverty and dependence on foreign aid.

Gatete said that in order to successfully defeat poverty, one needs to lay the foundation in terms of peace and stability, institutions and good governance.

He told the gathering that his government has now reversed the economic ruin and destruction left by the former genocidal regime and put Rwanda on course to achieving true liberation.

"We have been laying that foundation and now we are ready to take off,” he said.

Ambassador Gatete said that it was not by accident that Rwanda has become a venue of choice for regional and international conferences, and a magnet for some high profile visitors and foreign direct investments.

"It’s a vote of confidence in our leadership and the people of Rwanda,” he said, adding that the leadership in Kigali wants to disapprove the myth that no country in Africa can overcome poverty and dependence on foreign aid.

Addressing the same gathering at the London Irish Centre, the Chairman of the Rwandese Community in the UK, Mr Eliphas Sukiranya, implored Rwandans in the Diaspora to play a positive role in the development of their motherland.

"Our country is safe and stable and there is a lot of investment and other opportunities to take advantage of,” Sukiranya told the audience.

The event was attended by hundreds of Rwandans and friends of Rwanda.

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