Genocide ideology fell sharply in Rwanda: Report

By James Tasamba

KIGALI, Rwanda (AA) - Genocide ideology and divisive politics among Rwandans have fallen sharply from 25.8% in 2015 to 8.6% today, according to a new government report.

The Rwanda Reconciliation Barometer 2020, released Wednesday, also showed that since the 1994 genocide against ethnic Tutsis, unity and reconciliation among Rwandans has improved from 92.5% in 2015 to 94.7% in 2020.

The downward trend in genocide ideology is attributable to stringent laws that punish genocide ideology as a crime and other related crimes, said Fidele Ndayisaba, executive secretary of the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (NURC), unveiling the report in the capital Kigali.

Efforts to foster unity and reconciliation among Rwandans in the last four years are bearing fruit, Ndayisaba said, praising political will as well as good governance measures.

The percentage of people who view themselves as Rwandans rather than through the lens of ethnic Tutsis or Hutus also rose from 95.6% in 2015 to 98.2%, the report said.

The survey aimed to assess the status of reconciliation in the landlocked East African country.

Ndayisaba commended the government, religious leaders, media, civil society organizations, private businesses, and development partners for their role in fostering unity and reconciliation among Rwandans since 1994.

The report was based on a survey conducted in 810 villages across the country, involving 12,600 people from 9,720 households, among them prison inmates.

In 1994 some 1 million people, mostly in the Tutsi community and moderate Hutus, were killed in a genocide by Hutu extremists during a massacre within a span of 100 days.