While acknowledging the country’s remarkable transformation over the past three decades, Kagame cautioned that the ideology which fueled the genocide has not disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“However, the ideas behind the genocide have not disappeared completely,” he said. “They persist in different forms, and remain present across our region.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The neighbouring Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has particularly come under scrutiny, where persistent reports of violence and targeted attacks against the Tutsi and Banyamulenge communities have been documented. These incidents, which continue to be reported in different parts of the region, have raised concerns about the endurance of ethnic-based insecurity and the broader spread of genocide ideology beyond Rwanda\u2019s borders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
President Kagame warned that Rwanda’s history has taught painful lessons about the consequences of ignoring such dangers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
“We have seen, and suffered too much to ever take this threat lightly.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The President stressed that continued vigilance is essential to preserving the peace and stability that Rwanda has built since liberation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Security is a matter of survival<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kagame underscored that security is not simply a policy objective but the foundation upon which Rwanda’s development depends.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Security and good governance are the foundation of everything we have built,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He rejected the notion that Rwanda’s security decisions should be influenced by external approval, insisting that protecting citizens remains the government’s foremost responsibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Security is a matter of survival, not external approval. Without it, nothing else holds together.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n The President said Rwanda would continue taking the necessary measures to defend its people and sovereignty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That is why we remain vigilant and firm.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Responsibility rests with Rwandans<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Addressing Rwanda’s younger generation, Kagame said many have grown up<\/p>\n\n\n\n without experiencing the violence that devastated the country in 1994, making it important to pass on the lessons of history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “A new generation is now coming of age, who did not witness the darkest moments of our history,” he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n He urged young Rwandans to recognize that the country’s future ultimately depends on its own citizens.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Like those before them, this generation must understand that no one carries greater responsibility for Rwanda than we do ourselves.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n While international partners may offer support, Kagame said Rwanda cannot depend on others to guarantee its future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Some may support us, others may disagree, or misunderstand us. Ultimately, they can all turn their back on us. We do not have that option.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “It is our duty to ensure that every Rwandan can live in peace, and build a good life here.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n Liberation as a continuing mission<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Kagame described liberation as an ongoing process that extends beyond military victory, saying the country’s mission today is to continue improving the lives of its people while protecting the unity that has underpinned Rwanda’s recovery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “That is why liberation will never end, but will continue to evolve, as we work to improve the lives of our people, year after year.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n He called on Rwandans to reject division in all its forms and remain focused on building a stronger future together.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The future we deserve is within reach. As long as we remain united, reject division in all its forms, and focus on what we are building together, there is little we cannot accomplish.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n “The record of the past thirty-two years speaks for itself,” he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" President Paul Kagame has reaffirmed Rwanda’s unwavering commitment to ensuring that the country never experiences the horrors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi again, declaring that safeguarding peace and security will remain a national priority as Rwanda marks the 32nd anniversary of Liberation Day.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000118168,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[48],"tags":[151,70],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-2000118167","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics-48","tag-editors-choice","tag-main-home-ighlight","byline-wycliffe-nyamasege"],"bylines":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"contributors":[{"id":192,"name":"Wycliffe Nyamasege","slug":"wycliffe-nyamasege","description":"","image":{"id":0,"url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=mm&f=y&r=g","alt":"Default avatar","title":"Default avatar","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","sizes":[]},"user_id":131}],"featured_image":{"id":2000118168,"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":1000,"height":791,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg","width":1000,"height":791},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg","width":1000,"height":791},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg","width":1000,"height":791},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg","width":1000,"height":791},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg","width":1000,"height":791}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000118167","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/131"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2000118167"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000118167\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2000118169,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2000118167\/revisions\/2000118169"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000118168"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2000118167"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2000118167"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2000118167"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=2000118167"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=2000118167"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"\"](\"https:\/\/cdn.igihe.com\/en\/2026\/07\/55358663759_0b0c3e1e76_k-103cf.jpg\")