Rwanda marks liberation day, independence anniversary in Abuja

The Rwanda High Commission in Nigeria organised an event in Abuja to celebrate the 28th Liberation Day and the 60th Independence Anniversary of the country in Abuja.

The Liberation Day, also known as Kwibohora28, marks the end of genocide and the defeat of the government that executed it on July 4, 1994, and has been described as a major and defining milestone in the post-independence history of Rwanda.

Speaking at the event, Stanislas Kamanzi, Rwanda High Commissioner to Nigeria, noted that the country recovered her Independence on July 1, 1962, but said it however did not translate into national harmony and cohesion, explaining that all post-independence Governments chose to found their rule on ethnicity, divisionism, and exclusion.

“Their choice inspired from the colonial master, crystalised in a genocide ideology that built up to the planning and the perpetration of the Genocide Against the Tutsi in 1994. Till then, for over three decades, the dividends from independence were, for the People of Rwanda, a mere mirage,” he added.

“Against that backdrop, Liberation Day, that marks the end of the Genocide and the defeat of the Government that executed it on July 4, 1994, is a major and defining milestone in the post-independence history of Rwanda,” the High Commissioner further said.

Kamanzi informed that during the past 28 years, Rwanda decisively embarked on structural socioeconomic and political reforms, which have been guiding the transformational process underway. Speaking on some of the achievements of the country, the High Commissioner said Rwanda had consistently recorded an average of 8 percent annual economic growth before the COVID-19 pandemic and still aim to transition to a middle-income country by the Year 2030.

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Speaking further, he said Rwanda saw the rate of people living under the poverty line decrease from 78 percent in 1994 to 38 percent in 2017. Rwanda made it possible for every citizen to be subscribed to medical care insurance, with the poorest fully catered for by Government, he said. He also said the country has achieved universal primary and secondary education.

In a bid to widen cooperation and spur tourism, trade and investment, Kamanzi said Rwanda has opened up her shores to the rest of the World by waiving entry visas to visitors from all over Africa, the Commonwealth, and la Francophonie Nations. He said the move complements the ease of doing business strides that made Rwanda rank among the most progressive globally.

The High Commissioner extended his appreciation to the government of Nigeria for “the excellent bilateral relations” with the country. He said, “It is always a pleasurable duty to restate our great appreciation of between Nigeria and Rwanda. Our leaders at the highest level are in constant engagement to elevate cooperation to greater heights. I wish to express gratitude to the Rwandan Community residing in Nigeria for their positive impact as they portray the image of Rwanda. “