On Tuesday, 12 May 2026, the Officials and staff of Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), together with 245 beneficiaries formerly associated with armed groups, particularly former FDLR combatants from phase 77 currently attending deradicalisation, rehabilitation and civic education programme at Mutobo Demobilisation Centre, participated in the 32^nd commemoration of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The event took place at the Kigali Genocide Memorial in Gisozi.

The group is largely composed of young people born and raised in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where they grew up under the influence of genocide ideology and propaganda portraying Tutsis as enemies and Rwanda as a country allegedly ruled by foreigners. Following a guided tour of the memorial, the beneficiaries laid wreaths at the mass graves where more than 250,000 victims of the Genocide against the Tutsi are laid to rest.

During educational sessions delivered by officials from the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement as well as the Ministry of Defence, participants were taken through Rwanda’s history, the planning and execution of the Genocide against the Tutsi, and the efforts that led to its cessation.

Colonel Désiré Migambi Mungamba, Head of Civil-Military Cooperation in the Rwanda Defence Force (RDF), reminded the former FDLR members that they now have an opportunity to contribute positively to national development after leaving behind the harmful ideology in which they had been raised.

“No one betrays Rwanda and prospers. Betraying Rwanda is self-destruction,” he said.

He further urged young people still affiliated with the FDLR to abandon hatred and genocide ideology, and instead choose the path of nation-building and unity with fellow Rwandans.

Speaking on behalf of the beneficiaries, Ndayisenga Prosper, a former Sergeant Major in the FDLR, acknowledged that they had spent years exposed to falsehoods and hate-driven teachings. He expressed gratitude for the warm reception they received upon returning to Rwanda and for the opportunity to discover the truth.

“We have witnessed with our own eyes what truly happened, and it is completely different from what we were taught. I personally participated in mobilisation and ideological training of young people. From this visit, we have drawn strength to promote and safeguard the unity of Rwandans. We are grateful to Rwanda for welcoming us, despite the fact that our mission had been to fight against this country as its enemies,” he said.

The Chairperson of RDRC, Valérie Nyirahabineza, called upon the youth to completely distance themselves from genocide ideologies and to use the opportunity they have been given to learn the truth as a foundation for building a brighter future.

Following the commemoration activities at the Kigali Genocide Memorial, participants also visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum, where they learnt about the sacrifice and bravery of the Inkotanyi forces in stopping the Genocide against the Tutsi, during which more than one million Tutsis were killed across Rwanda in just 100 days.

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