Rwanda National Police

Rev. Antoine Rutayisire of Remera Anglican Church has challenged security organs on the African continent to be patriotic and stay focused to their mandates to ensure sustainable security in their respective countries, which he said is a foundation to development.

He said the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi was inevitable because security organs of ruling regime at the time had rolled-off their original mandate and aided in the planning and killing of fellow Rwandans.

Rutayisire said this on March 12 at Kigali memorial centre where he responded to various questions raised by Police students from regional countries attending the ‘Police Senior Command and Staff Course’ at the National Police College (NPC) in Musanze District.

Twenty two Police officers from nine regional countries are attending the course where they will graduate with a Master Degree in Peace Studies and Conflict Transformation.

They had visited the memorial centre as part of their studies and to also pay tribute to Genocide victims.

“Genocide can never happen unless the army and Police are involved,” Rev. Rutayisire said.

He challenged some classical courts that have freed some officers largely responsible for the Genocide in which more than a million Rwandans were killed in only one hundred days.

The officers asked various questions, especially related to the semi-traditional courts –.

Rev. Rutayisire explained that Rwanda has embarked on the transformation path through home-grown development initiatives such as Gacaca – and Ndi Umunyarwanda, to reconcile and unite Rwandans towards a common goal.

He is among those that drafted the Gacaca judicial system which was established in 2002 to speed up Genocide trials, establish truth about the killings, uproot impunity and to reconcile Rwandans.

It served as an ideal alternative to the “failed” classical penal systems for timely justice to the Genocide victims and by the time it officially closed in 2012, it had disposed-off nearly two million cases.

“Through Ndi Umunyarwanda, we want to see citizenship put above tribalism, uproot evil mindsets and culture and ensure that people are proud of being Rwandans,” Rev. Rutayisire said.

Ndi Umunyarwanda, loosely translated as ‘I am Rwandan,’ is an initiative largely aimed at helping Rwandans, especially the youth, openly talk about their history, repent, forgive, and heal.

Rutayisire said some leaders tend to focus on their tribes rather than their nations which sow seeds of hatred.

On the issue of refugees, Rutayisire explained that majority have returned home but added that most of those who have not returned are those responsible for the killings during the Genocide.

Rwanda’s transformation, against all odds, also received appraisal from the officers, who said it sets an example to other countries.

“What happened in Rwanda is really terrible…to see people killing their fellow citizens whom they share same culture and speak the same language,” Supt. Ephantus Kariuki from Kenya, said.

“It’s good that Rwandans have decided to move on to rebuild their country and not to get stuck in the past. It’s Rwandans who fought and stopped the Genocide and are the same people who should build their country,” he added.

Supt. Musa Swane from Swaziland said Rwandans need to unite and forge a way forward and ensure that it does not happen again.

“We also pray, as other nations, for Rwanda to unite and prevent the reoccurrence of such a tragedy. We are leaving here as ambassadors of Rwanda because we, from the Southern Africa, didn’t have the true picture of what actually happened and the true pictures of what is happening now.

“The development since 1994 up to now is commendable and this is the path all Rwandans and Africa in general should take,” Swane added.