By Prof. Silas LWAKABAMBA Rector, NUR Universities' Role in Post-Genocide Reconciliation: The Case of NUR

The National University of Rwanda (NUR) is a public university founded in NUR was born in a very tense social and political climate. It was created a year after independence (1962), a year marked by ethnic and political violence after the accession to power of a political party (PARMEHUTU) that openly professed racism against the Tutsi.

Studies show that during many crises in the country NUR was one of the leading organs of the State which kept fanning the crisis until the final solution of genocide against Tutsi in This genocide was instigated by the state based on ideas developed by Academics within NUR.

The party (PARMEHUTU), in power until 1973, was built on the denial of Tutsi’s rights to citizenship and life. Thus, instead of promoting education for all Rwandans, it introduced ethnic quotas in schools and the university.

In March 1973, Tutsi students and staff were expelled from NUR by their fellow Hutu students because of their ethnic group. Some of the leaders of Hutu students that were very active were among the planners of the genocide against Tutsi in 1994.

The University lost a good number of its staff and students (around 600). Students killed their classmates and teachers; teachers killed their colleagues and students, etc.

"Academics" from NUR were also active in the killings of innocent Tutsis in the neighborhoods. The University also suffered a great material loss i.e. infrastructure, equipment, records, etc, were destroyed. Nationally around 1 million people were killed in 100 day (April- July 1994) i.e. around 10,000 people died per day using machetes, clubs, etc.

When the NUR reopened its doors in 1995, the national context had changed significantly. A new government was set up with ideological and political options diametrically opposed to those of the previous political regimes. Despite the genocide that had destroyed the social fabric, the first option of the new leadership in government was to promote unity and reconciliation among Rwandans.

NUR created the Center for Conflict Management (CCM) in 1998 to respond to challenges raised in the post-genocide context.

CCM is both an answer to a need to inspire research policies, and an opportunity to generate native knowledge on the deep causes of conflicts, and potential strategies for the development of sustainable peace in Rwanda and the region.

Research interests include Genocide Studies and Prevention, Transitional Justice, Human Rights and Governance issues, Education for Conflict Transformation, as well as the Economic and Social Dimensions of Conflict in the Great Lakes region in general, and particularly in Rwanda.

CCM has organized a number of symposia, seminars, national workshops and international conferences, community outreach programmes and published many articles and books that have inspired mechanisms of handling post-genocide critical issues and post-conflict management.

CCM has also developed Masters Programmes; 1.Genocide Studies and Peace and 2.Peace and Conflict Studies, CCM has also developed a compulsory course in Peace and Civic Education.

Besides the efforts of CCM, a number of other university initiatives have been developed to assist in the transformation of the society including the legal aid clinic, community mental health centre, microeconomic development and infrastructure development for marginalized people.

Staff and students of NUR have also participated in solidarity camps which challenge participants to reflect and contribute to the reconciliation issues facing Rwandan government and society. It is a forum of debate with government, civil society and the NUR community.

The NUR Students Union also has dedicated organizations for community based reconciliation within the student body and to foster community initiatives, development and dialogue.

There is still an ongoing need for dedicated and innovative efforts to ensure the prevention of ethic divisionism, hatred and intolerance.

The NUR is committed to its role as both a practical and academic contributor to the global eradication of ethnic based violence and stigmatization.

In collaboration with regional and international partnerships, NUR hopes to contribute to the growing body of research and best practices developed to prevent any threat of resurgence of ethnic based ideologies in Rwanda, the Great Lakes region and in the global community.