Conference on liberation opens today

KIGALI-A conference on the country’s liberation struggle takes place today at the Kigali Serena Hotel. The one-day forum organized by the Ministry of Local Government in collaboration with the Ministry of Defence, Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ministry for Cabinet Affairs, aims at increasing awareness of Rwanda’s liberation experience. The participants are expected to come out with a shared vision of a continuous liberation and heightened value of peacekeeping missions. “The driving force behind the struggle for liberation was the determination to restore dignity, full rights and hope to all Rwandans,” said Local Government Minister, James Musoni, in a statement. He added that July 4 marks the end of decades of oppression, division, violence and stagnation; while celebrating nation building with a common vision and a forward looking mindset of inclusivity, participation, non-discrimination and shared values. “Seventeen years after liberation, Rwanda is a unified country firmly on the path to development and prosperity”. The Liberation Day will be celebrated under the theme “Rwandans’ Seventeenth Liberation: Shaping our Destiny”. Musoni stressed that Rwanda’s home-grown solutions have led the country to achieve significant results in the areas of justice, unity and reconciliation, social development, economic growth, good governance and partnerships with the global community. “On July 4, Rwandans are celebrating the momentum that we, Rwandans, can see throughout the country to uphold it dignity, own our future and shape our destiny,” he noted. The conference is facilitated by national and international speakers. The speakers of the conference include, among others: the Secretary General of the East African Community, Dr Richard Sezibera, the Joint African Union and United Nations Special Representative, Ibrahim Gambari, Dr Gerald Caplan, a leading Canadian authority on Genocide and its prevention, together with Lt. Gen. Patrick Nyamvumba, the UNAMID Force Commander in Darfur. Ends