Musanze’s Unity and Reconciliation Village – A testimony of a past left behind

Chantal Mutuyimana and her neighbour say they now live side by side as Rwandans

Residents of umudugudu (village) called “Unity and Reconciliation” in Musanze district, North of Rwanda, say they have gone a long way towards living by the name of their community as they carry out most of their daily activities together irrespective of their alleged different ethnic groups and live in total brotherhood.

The “Unity and Reconciliation Village”, which is located in the cells of Birira and Buramira in the sector of Kimonyi in Musanze district, is mainly home to survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, ex-combatants of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and former convicts of Genocide crimes who have already served their sentences.

According to Célestin Rushigajiki, a grassroots leader in Kamugeni village  it was difficult to get the three groups to live together in the “Unity and Reconciliation Village” given their far divergent initial affiliations.

“It was often noticeable in talks delivered during the Genocide commemoration period. You could see those who were once charged with Genocide fearing to show up. But now figures are there to attest that we have gone a long way towards achieving reconciliation”, said Rushigajiki.

Local residents say they all used to have wounded hearts – due to a bitter legacy of Rwanda’s history characterized by ethnic-centered violence. And they couldn’t feel at ease interacting with members of the other groups. But with time, and flavored with a number of talks on unity and reconciliation, they decided to leave their alleged differences behind and move forward towards reconciliation.

The “Unity and Reconciliation Village” is supplied with basic social amenities like
electricity and water

One Chantal Mutuyimana   became an orphan at a very young age. She says that she never thought she would get to live side by side with Hutu, labeling them as killers who would not hesitate to even finish her off.

“As soon as I got to this [village], I felt like I wouldn’t get to live here. I noticed that my would-be neighbours are the very people who committed the Genocide and got imprisoned, former FDLR infiltrators. I really felt life was impossible.

Mutuyimana says that they were taught about reconciliation and the “reconciliation message got right in our minds”. It’s nearly six years now since they started living side by side, without any conflicts.

“I used to feel suspicious of them [Hutu] and felt like I couldn’t even approach them. But now we live side by side peacefully. When I am not around, I can leave my child with my neighbours and expect to find her well taken care of.

Théogène Nsengiyumva an FDLR ex-combatant, who fought within the ranks of the FDLR for five years before laying his arms down and returning to his homeland in 2001, says that he used to consider a Tutsi his worst enemy. But thanks to different talks on unity and reconciliation, he now sees all Rwandans as the same people.

The “Unity and Reconciliation Village” is supplied with basic social amenities like electricity and water. The Unity and Reconciliation Club based in this village spreads the reconciliation message to neighbouring communities.

The “Unity and Reconciliation Village” was put up in the year 2000 and comprises of 183 households.