Upon arriving in Rwanda and feeling the warmth of the welcome he experienced, ‘Major’ Gilbert Ndayambaje stated that the genocidal group FDLR propagated falsehoods to control its members. Among the 14 former militia fighters surrendered to Rwandan officials by the AFC/M23 rebels were Major Ndayambaje and Brigadier General Ezechiel Gakwerere, a high-ranking leader within the DR Congo-based FDLR genocidal organization, on March 1st. Gakwerere played a significant role in orchestrating the Genocide against the Tutsis.
Operating in DR Congo for thirty years, the FDLR is a United Nations-designated militant faction established primarily by individuals responsible for the 1994 genocide targeting ethnic Tutsis.
“The hopelessness I carried disappeared once we crossed the border at La Corniche One-Stop Border Post due mainly to the reception provided by the government,” Ndayambaje explained. “I immediately sensed acceptance and tranquility upon seeing what an evolved nation this was compared to the tales spun by these groups.”
Ndayambaje disclosed during an interview with The New Times that he joined the genocidal force under duress in 1998 after fleeing from infiltration threats posed by the Abacengezi group which coerced him into service. Having endured hardship in the forests of DR Congo—where escaping meant almost certain peril—he confessed that starting circa 2010, he yearned intensely for repatriation. His spouse along with their five offspring relocated to Rwanda in 2012.
Following reports indicating that M23 seized Goma and caught up with Gakwerere, Ndayambaje conceived a plan to make it across the Rwandan frontier beginning from Sake area where he fought alongside FARDC troops until then. Unfamiliar with details regarding Goma town, Ndayambaje ventured into a local household seeking direction assistance; instead encountering three M23 personnel accompanied by kindly hosts offering respite indoors despite his current attire denoting allegiance elsewhere.
He highlighted instances illustrating maltreatment meted out towards FDLR recruits by superiors linked either directly or indirectly via collaboration networks extending beyond national borders initially set ablaze amidst conflict dynamics spanning decades prior.
In sharp juxtaposition however stands treatment afforded participants presently enrolled within rehabilitation programs administered by the RDFD commission located in Mutobo district, specifically designed aiding transition phases facilitating eventual social integration efforts following successful decommissioning processes concluded successfully thus far involving thousands beneficiaries since inception nearly twenty-two years ago.
“Life here couldn’t be better—we receive essential provisions like toiletries garments sustenance plus structured vocational instruction empowering readiness levels required transitioning smoothly back into civilian roles seamlessly integrated societies again.”
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