E. Province RPF cadres urged on ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’

Rwanda National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC) has urged Rwandans to fully embrace the ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ initiative.Addressing the bi-annual RPF meeting in Eastern Province, yesterday, the NURC Executive Secretary, Jean Baptiste Habyalimana, said ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ is aimed at helping Rwandans candidly talk about their history, repent, forgive, and heal.Habyalimana’s address was preceded by a screening of a documentary film on Rwanda’s socio-economic and political life from pre-colonial times to the present day.He said ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ programme was one of the initiatives devised to harness unity and reconciliation among Rwandans.“Rwandans need to reflect on their past to chart a better future. The film you have just watched, tells a story of bad leadership that climaxed into the Genocide against the Tutsi. A copy has been availed, so that it can be disseminated to the population as a teaching aid,” he said.Dr. Habyalimana urged people who were involved in the Genocide to come out strongly and confess, adding that it would allow the country to heal.“It is on record that some Genocide convicts served their jail terms, but never confessed. They shy away from the crimes they committed,” he said. “Perpetrators of the Genocide were indeed traumatised by their actions. It is a complex issue that needs a holistic approach; such an approach is typical of ‘Ndi Umunyarwanda’ programme,” he added.Joseph Karemera, an RPF Commissioner, reiterated the importance of the initiative in building the nation.“Rwandans were misled by bad leadership. You saw how the then Prime Minister (Jean Kambanda) openly brandished a gun and called for the extermination of innocent people. Today’s leadership is different,” he said.Odette Uwamariya, the chairperson of RPF in the Province said RPF members were committed to be exemplary in promoting sustainable development in all spheres.“Our history is clear. Political and religious leaders were responsible for our bad history. Fortunately, they have today changed and are now on the right track. We shall thus have a bright future,” she said.The National Unity and Reconciliation Commission, says that 80 per cent of Rwandans, have reconciled over the last 20 years.