{"id":54806,"date":"2025-07-08T17:13:03","date_gmt":"2025-07-08T17:13:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/amb-rutabana-reflects-on-hard-lessons-of-rwanda-s-liberation-at-kwibohora31-in\/"},"modified":"2025-07-08T15:09:54","modified_gmt":"2025-07-08T15:09:54","slug":"amb-rutabana-reflects-on-hard-lessons-of-rwanda-s-liberation-at-kwibohora31-in","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/amb-rutabana-reflects-on-hard-lessons-of-rwanda-s-liberation-at-kwibohora31-in\/","title":{"rendered":"Amb. Rutabana reflects on hard lessons of Rwanda\u2019s liberation at Kwibohora31 in Uganda"},"content":{"rendered":"

The event drew more than 700 guests, including members of the Rwandan diaspora, Ugandan government officials, the diplomatic corps, students, and friends of Rwanda.<\/p>\n

In his keynote address, Amb. Rutabana described July 4, 1994, as \u201cthe true liberation\u201d of Rwanda, a moment that marked the rebirth of a nation that had nearly collapsed under the weight of the Genocide against the Tutsi, division, and failed post-independence leadership.<\/p>\n

“Rwanda got her Independence from colonialism, on the 1st of July 1962. However, the post- colonial governments did not bring any fundamental change to the lives of the people. In fact, they added more impetus to the plight of divisive and sectarian policies of colonial masters,” he said, citing the discriminatory regimes of Presidents Kayibanda and Habyarimana.<\/p>\n

He recounted how years of marginalisation and exile, particularly of Tutsis, created the conditions for an inevitable revolution. <\/p>\n

\u201cIn 1987, the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) was formed with the aim of liberating the motherland,\u201d he said, tracing the movement\u2019s military campaign that began in 1990 and culminated in the Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA) capturing Kigali on July 4, 1994\u2014effectively ending the Genocide against the Tutsi.<\/p>\n

Amb. Rutabana praised the leadership of President Paul Kagame for transforming Rwanda from a nation on the brink of collapse into one of stability, reconciliation, and development. <\/p>\n

“The journey has been long and difficult but thanks to the able and transformational leadership of H.E. Paul Kagame, which charted a clear and shared vision, with inclusive policies and equal opportunities to all, considerable achievements have been made,\u201d he said, highlighting that life expectancy has risen to nearly 70 years, school attendance is improving, and Rwanda is now the second-largest contributor to UN peacekeeping missions globally.<\/p>\n

He also paid tribute to Uganda for its historical support during Rwanda\u2019s most difficult years. \u201cWe did not walk this long journey alone. We have had the valuable support of many partners, including Uganda,\u201d he said, echoing President Kagame\u2019s remarks during the 30th commemoration of the Genocide against the Tutsi, acknowledging Uganda\u2019s role in carrying \u201cthe burden of Rwanda\u2019s internal problems for so many years.\u201d<\/p>\n

Amb. Rutabana also noted improved bilateral relations between Rwanda and Uganda, underscoring recent high-level engagements between the two countries\u2019 military and government officials. He cited the 11th session of the Uganda-Rwanda Joint Permanent Commission in 2023 as a milestone that laid the groundwork for enhanced cooperation in areas including diplomacy, migration, justice, and cross-border trade.<\/p>\n

The Guest of Honour, Amb. Dr. Mohamed A. Kisuule, commended Rwanda\u2019s resilience and transformation.<\/p>\n

The evening concluded with a toast to Presidents Yoweri Museveni and Kagame, as well as a cake-cutting ceremony symbolising continued unity and friendship between Rwanda and Uganda.<\/p>\n

Musical and cultural performances by the Makerere University choir, a Rwandan traditional dance troupe, and Milly\u2019s Band added colour to the event, while guests were encouraged to “Visit Rwanda” and explore its natural beauty and growing tourism industry.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
\"Musical<\/figure>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n
\"The<\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Rwanda\u2019s High Commissioner to Uganda, Joseph Rutabana, on Friday reflected on the painful but transformative journey of Rwanda\u2019s liberation, during celebrations marking the 31st anniversary of Liberation Day, known as Kwibohora31, held at the High Commissioner\u2019s residence in Kampala.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":131,"featured_media":2000090581,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[75],"byline":[192],"hashtag":[],"class_list":["post-54806","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","tag-homenews","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":2000090581,"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-jul-2025-03-03-pm-4960logo.jpg","alt":"","caption":"","mime_type":"image\/jpeg","width":0,"height":0,"sizes":{"thumbnail":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-jul-2025-03-03-pm-4960logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-jul-2025-03-03-pm-4960logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"medium_large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-jul-2025-03-03-pm-4960logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"large":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-jul-2025-03-03-pm-4960logo.jpg","width":1,"height":1},"full":{"url":"https:\/\/en-images.igihe.com\/IMG\/logo\/mixcollage-08-jul-2025-03-03-pm-4960logo.jpg","width":0,"height":0}}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54806","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=54806"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54806\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2000090581"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54806"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54806"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54806"},{"taxonomy":"byline","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/byline?post=54806"},{"taxonomy":"hashtag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/new.igihe.com\/english\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/hashtag?post=54806"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}