Today, 20th March 2026, more than 240 former members of armed groups once active in the jungles of the Democratic Republic of the Congo—predominantly linked to the FDLR militia—visited the Kigali Genocide Memorial as part of an educational programme aimed at reshaping their understanding of Rwanda’s past.

The visit, organised as a guided study tour, is designed to help returnees confront the country’s history firsthand and critically reassess narratives they had been exposed to while living in armed groups. For many, it marked the first time engaging directly with documented evidence of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi.

At the memorial, participants were taken through the chronology of events leading up to the genocide, its execution, and the consequences of divisive governance that fuelled mass violence. The experience, according to several attendees, challenged long-held beliefs shaped by misinformation circulated within the ranks of the FDLR.

The group also visited the Campaign Against Genocide Museum located at the Rwanda Parliament, where they were introduced to the history of the liberation struggle that brought the genocide to an end. The visit provided additional context on the role of the Rwandan Patriotic Army in halting the atrocities and restoring national stability.

Addressing the group after the tour, Valérie Nyirahabineza, President of the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), urged participants to act as agents of truth. She called on them to share their newly acquired understanding with peers still in the jungles of eastern DRC.

“You have seen the truth for yourselves,” she told them. “Use this knowledge to encourage others to abandon misinformation and return home.”

Several returnees spoke candidly about the impact of the visit. Jean de Dieu Maniraguha, a former FDLR member, acknowledged that much of what they had previously believed was shaped by deliberate distortion.

“Many of us were born after the genocide, yet we had never been exposed to its true history,” he said. “In the forests, we were taught division and told that Rwanda’s leadership was deceptive. This visit has given us a clearer and more complete picture.”

He added that participants are now committed to countering genocide denial and minimisation, describing it as a responsibility they carry following the tour.

Another returnee, Virginia Niyitegeka, said the experience was both emotional and transformative. She described how narratives about the genocide had been manipulated during her time in the DRC.

“We realised how deeply we had been misled,” she said. “The information we received distorted reality. This visit has changed my perspective, and I am determined to speak the truth and encourage others to come back.”

Participants in the programme are recent returnees who had been affiliated with the FDLR. While some were born in Rwanda and others in the DRC, they share a common background of exposure to extremist ideology propagated within armed groups.

According to data, 88.5 per cent of the participants are men, while women account for 11.5 per cent. Former combatants make up 71.7 per cent of the group, with the remainder being their dependants. In terms of origin, 50.8 per cent were born in the DRC and 49.2 per cent in Rwanda.

Officials say such educational visits are a critical component of the broader reintegration process, helping returnees rebuild their understanding of national history while fostering unity and social cohesion.

As Rwanda continues to receive former fighters laying down arms, programmes like this are increasingly seen as essential—not only for individual transformation, but also for countering the narratives that sustain armed groups beyond the country’s borders.

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