The annual activity is very important in the sense that it gives the President an opportunity to meet and interact with citizens first hand, and get to see what has worked and what hasn’t, as well as seeking solutions to the challenges the respective communities face.
The message during the three-day tour evolved around consolidating what the country has built over the past 25 years, finding solutions from within ourselves, self-worth, ownership and inculcating the belief that Rwandans can solve any problem they face without looking elsewhere.
As someone who grew up from a background of being a refugee and then returning home to witness how Rwanda as a country has been able to defy odds and turn things around even when others have written us off, I can’t help but agree that there is no challenge that is insurmountable for a determined people and nation.
To affirm this, I want to reflect on the work Rwanda Defence Force (RDF) has been doing over the last 25 years to confirm indeed that when people are determined, there is a lot they can do together, not only to seek solutions to seemingly insurmountable challenges but to also rebuild a country with the dignity it deserves.
When what was the Rwandese Patriotic Army (RPA), the armed wing of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi), evolved into what is RDF today, the men and women in uniform did not forget the same principles that guided them during the Liberation struggle.
Rather than being comfortable in their role of safeguarding the sovereignty and securing the borders of the country, RDF knew that there was no one else to look up to, to rebuild a country which has limited resources, for it to attain its development goals.
Rather than letting the country be at the mercy of well-wishers and donors, the RDF took it upon itself to be part and parcel of the developing process, by going beyond the core mandate of the armed forces, to aggressively engage in development activities.
I recently followed the launch of the RDF Citizen Outreach Programme, the armed forces own version of citizen outreach, to support socio-economic development in the country.
There is no doubt that the RDF borrows this kind of approach from the Commander-in-Chief himself, who believes that the fate of Rwandans is in their own hands and that they have what it takes to solve any kind of problem they face.
When you see what goes on during the RDF Citizen Outreach, right from the time it was called the RDF Army Week, you notice a trend of activities and discipline with which the RDF has been involving itself in development activities and you are simply left in awe.
Whereas elsewhere we are used to the military terrorizing citizens and creating a barrier between the people and the army, RDF has changed this notion. I can’t count how many times I open a newspaper and see high ranking RDF officers together with citizens building a school, a road, a hospital or army medical doctors treating hundreds of patients for free.
This is something you can’t take for granted. Where else will you find military personnel building a dam to serve communities often affected by drought, restoring marshlands, planting trees or even growing food to feed populations?
Where else will you find the army giving away a part of their small salary to buy hundreds of cattle to be given to the needy under the One Cow per Family programme? It is not because they earn a lot or they ‘loot’ from the public as some armies we know.
It is also not because the army has such a huge budget that they use the surplus to support development. In recent years, we have seen cases where the army or the RDF reserve force has saved government billions by taking on vital infrastructure projects such as hospitals, roads and bridges which would have otherwise cost government much more if they were implemented by other contractors.
For a country that is still on the development path with many priorities compared to the available resources, one cannot emphasise what RDF’s contribution has been over the last 25 years. It can’t be quantified in real terms and neither can we estimate how much RDF has saved for the government by taking on otherwise costly ventures.
These resources saved are channeled into other priorities.
To understand what role RDF has played, one has to look back at President Kagame’s tales of the liberation struggle, where the soldiers had to work within very limited resources to achieve a lot. One has to understand that to achieve more, it doesn’t take a lot of resources alone, but rather the will and determination.
Over the years, RDF has proved that Rwandan armed forces are driven by sacrifice, determination and a desire to see the country develop, even with the meager resources. For a force with a background of accounting for every bullet during the liberation struggle, it is not surprising therefore that accountability remains a key factor in RDF’s traditions and principles.
Indeed as Gen. Jacques Musemakweli, the Reserve Force Chief of Staff, put it, RDF learned from the Commander-in-Chief to be selfless and put country above everything else and also to believe that creating a wealthy and healthy nation is the best way to ensure stability.
From 2009 when the Army Week was launched, we have seen a steady increase in numbers, right from the patients treated, acres of land reclaimed, trees planted, schools, hospitals and roads built, among other things, RDF has been involved in.
It is believed that the third phase of actual liberation is development, which at this point involves no guns but rather actual development activities. One can comfortably say that 25 years on RDF has mastered the art of being part of the development process.
Rwandans have in the past never experienced this kind of thing. The army under previous governments was seen as brutal agents of torture and repression, unlike today where men and women in uniform are harmoniously seen working together with citizens to develop the country.
This year alone, RDF will provide free medical services that will benefit at least 137,900 patients and construct 1,141 houses for vulnerable families. The army also planned to build soil erosion control terraces on 453 hectares and reclaim some 1,114 hectares of land for agriculture production among other things.
There have been numerous attempts by western human rights watchdog to soil RDF’s image with unfounded reports and allegations but the truth on the ground, speaking as a Rwandan, is that there is no better relationship between armed forces and the people you can find elsewhere as there is in Rwanda.
For an army that does less talking and manifests itself more in actions, it is fair to say that the last 25 years have seen RDF evolve from what was then referred to as a ‘rebel force’, to one of Africa’s most professional forces. This can be attested by RDF’s peacekeeping record.
As RDF Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen Patrick Nyamvumba put it to citizens while launching the citizen outreach programme, the well-being of the people is one of the key priorities of the military.
It is fair to say that the last 25 years have seen RDF immensely contribute to the development of the country and they are not seeking medals for it because it is in their philosophy but one has to at least recognize the efforts of the army. Well done! 25 years stronger!
{{The author is a publisher and commentator on socio-political affairs
The views expressed in this article are for the author}}
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