NAIROBI, Kenya, Oct 31 — Rwanda has taken another significant step in its long-running peace and reconciliation journey after 143 former members of armed groups, including ex-FDLR combatants, were officially discharged during the 75th Demobilization Ceremony held at the Mutobo Demobilization Centre in Musanze District.
The event, organized by the Rwanda Demobilization and Reintegration Commission (RDRC), marked over two decades of continuous efforts to reintegrate former fighters and promote regional stability through peaceful and non-military means.
Speaking during the ceremony on Friday, RDRC officials commended the graduates for successfully completing the Pre-Discharge Orientation Program, which equips returnees with civic education and essential skills to rebuild their lives peacefully within their communities.
An additional 135 ex-combatants graduated from the centre’s Mutobo TVET School, where they received vocational training in carpentry, tailoring, mechanics, and agriculture.
Each graduate received a toolkit to help them start small businesses and achieve self-reliance upon reintegration.
“The RDRC has continuously received and supported repatriated former FDLR combatants and their families for more than two decades, and stands ready to receive new combatants who repatriate to Rwanda, including members of the FDLR currently in the DRC, who have been urged to return to Rwanda in the recent announcement by the Government of the DRC,” the RDRC said in a statement.
12,600 demobilized since 2001
Since its establishment in 2001, the Commission has demobilized over 12,600 adult ex-members of armed groups, providing them and their families with psychosocial counseling, education, and economic reintegration support.
The RDRC has also maintained outreach to Rwandans still in armed groups across the border in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Through its popular weekly radio program “Isange mu banyu” (“Feel at Home Among Yours”), broadcast on Radio Rwanda and accessible in eastern DRC, the Commission shares testimonies of successful returnees and encourages others to come home voluntarily.
The Commission reaffirmed its commitment to advancing Rwanda’s pursuit of lasting peace and regional stability through non-military measures, emphasizing that it remains a cornerstone of the country’s national reconciliation and recovery agenda.
