When Pastor Niyonzima Jean Damascène finally stepped onto Rwandan soil in 2023, he was returning from a life suspended in fear, manipulation, and ideological enslavement deep within the jungles of eastern DRC. For years, he had been a senior political cadre and head of internal intelligence in the FDLR—an organisation that thrived on distortion, fearmongering, and spiritual exploitation.

Before the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Niyonzima served as the deputy Bourgmestre of Kinyami Commune. In 1998, drawn into the FDLR’s early formation and entangled in its political and religious indoctrination, he committed himself to a cause that promised divine victory but delivered only suffering.

A Life Held Hostage by Fear and False Prophecy

Asked why he did not return earlier, Niyonzima speaks with the clarity of hindsight:

“Fear held me back. And the ideology we lived under convinced us that abandoning the others was unthinkable. We were told that we would only return home together, as victors.”

That fear was reinforced through a carefully crafted blend of political rhetoric and pseudo-religious prophecy. FDLR leaders preached that God had chosen them to reclaim Rwanda—that they were “the second Israelites”, destined to conquer their so-called Promised Land.

“Our prayers,” he recalls, “were designed not to bring people closer to God, but to bind them to deception.”

The Machinery of Manipulation

Inside FDLR ranks, political and military leaders convened to script messages that were later delivered as “prophecies”. Selected prayer group members—groomed as “spiritual vessels”—would perform dramatic trances, shaking violently, falling to the ground, covering themselves with blankets, and proclaiming that God was speaking through them.

“These so-called revelations,” Niyonzima explains, “were fully prepared in the high command. Yet the people believed every word.”

This system, he adds, served two purposes: consolidating control over fighters and ensuring that prayer groups, closely aligned with senior commanders, enjoyed protection, food, and influence.

“It became a means of survival,” he admits. “Not spiritual truth, but political currency.”

A Movement Collapsing from Within

With time, contradictions became impossible to ignore. FDLR leaders who preached unity were deeply divided. Those who promised divine victory presided over internal killings and mistrust. Meanwhile, fighters were dying, families were suffering, and nothing was changing.

The turning point came when Niyonzima received consistent reports from his son, who had already returned home:

“He kept telling me, ‘Father, Rwanda is peaceful. Come home.’ That message stayed with me.”

As he watched the FDLR leadership fracture, deceive its own people, and turn against itself, he realised that the movement had long ceased to believe its own narrative.

“I understood that staying there meant choosing death—spiritually, emotionally, and physically. I could no longer live in a lie.”

In 2023, he made the decision to repatriate with his wife and children.

A New Life and a Renewed Purpose

Today, Pastor Niyonzima speaks with quiet confidence and gratitude.

“I have peace. I have dignity. I have a home. Everything we were told about Rwanda was false.”

With support from the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), he rebuilt his life and constructed a home for his family—something that would have been impossible in the forests of eastern Congo.

A Message to Those Still in the Forests

Many of his former colleagues—especially those involved in prayer and prophecy—remain trapped in the same cycle of fear and misinformation that once held him captive. To them, he delivers a message both urgent and heartfelt:

“Leave the lies behind. There is no future in those forests. You are being led into deeper danger and despair.

You have families in Rwanda—children who long for you. Rwanda is peaceful, supportive, and full of opportunity. Stop running through mountains with no direction and no purpose. Come home. Rebuild your life.

Rwanda is waiting for you.”

A Story of truth over fear

Pastor Niyonzima’s journey is more than a personal testimony—it is a powerful reflection of the destructive machinery of the FDLR and the transformative power of truth and reintegration. His story underscores a reality many still trapped in the forests have not yet confronted: that Rwanda offers peace, dignity, and a future.

For him, the journey from false prophecy to true purpose has already begun. For those still left behind, his message is simple: “The time to come home is now.”