Mutobo staff introduce residents to members of media.
Thousands drive past it without a second glance. Yet, this unassuming facility stands as one of Rwanda’s most notable achievements and a shining example to the rest of the world.
A forty-five-minute drive along the main road through Rwanda’s northern city of Musanze leads you to a nondescript sign reading Mutobo Demobilisation and Reintegration Resource Centre, under the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC). A large arrow points down a small road, indicating that the centre is 300 metres ahead.
A security guard greets each arrival with practised ease. Visitors without appointments explain their purpose; otherwise, they are welcomed and waved through.
The leafy entrance evokes the feel of a college or wellness retreat. Young people gather in twos and threes, chatting in the gardens. Most wear white T-shirts emblazoned with the centre’s name across the back and a small logo on the front. They all wear sports shoes provided by the centre upon arrival.
Some groups sit in semicircles on the grass, listening attentively to a speaker. It could be a classroom session or a retreat induction. Notably, there’s no visible security presence beyond the entrance guard.
The design of the centre clearly aimed to preserve the trees, clearing only enough space for the buildings. Above, patches of sky peek through the canopy, allowing just enough light to nurture the verdant gardens below. The trees shield residents from the harsh sun while the frequent Musanze rains sustain the lush growth. It feels like a garden nestled in forest calm, reflective, and profoundly tranquil.
This serenity is deliberate. Mutobo Centre primarily serves as a place of healing and rehabilitation for men, women, and children who once participated in some of the most horrific crimes against humanity.
The centre focuses on disarming, demobilising, rehabilitating, and reintegrating former combatants, particularly from the so-called Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR).
It embodies both an idea and a physical space, standing as a rare historical example of a nation responding to deep trauma and atrocity not with vengeance but with humanity’s highest values.
Tibetan Buddhists teach transformation through compassion and wisdom. Rwanda arguably manifests these principles more concretely than any other nation. After the genocide, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) leadership, together with partners, chose to combine justice with compassion—a lesson in humanity for both perpetrators and the world alike.
This approach permeates Rwandan society and underpins national reconciliation and unity policies, countering the colonial legacy of division and genocide ideology—an ideology that some Rwandans, often with foreign support, still cling to.
Like the Buddhists, Rwanda rejected the destruction of evil through violence, opting instead to transform it through compassion and wisdom.
At Mutobo, former armed group members, mostly from the FDLR and more recently the “Wazalendo,” a catch-all term for various Congolese militias undergo a structured process to reintegrate into society.
Rehabilitation is multifaceted, including psychosocial support, vocational training, and skills development to prepare graduates for economically active roles in their communities.
The centre caters to women, families, people with disabilities, and children, some of whom were forcibly recruited as child soldiers.
Ironically, rehabilitation begins by reassuring these individuals, many of whom once terrorised others, that they will not suffer the same fate. The centre refers to this phase as a “cooling-off period.”
Those who once spread fear and violence must first overcome their own guilt, shame, and fear of retribution.
However, the centre does not replace judicial institutions. Those suspected of crimes must still confront Rwanda’s justice system. They are promised not only equal opportunities as Rwandans but also equal treatment under the law.
Whether “Hutu,” “Tutsi,” or “Twa”, Rwandans are one people, indivisible. Colonial powers created artificial divisions based on discredited racial theories that laid the foundations for genocide.
These theories, propagated especially through religious institutions like the Catholic Church, were embraced by individuals seeking power. After the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) defeated the genocidal regime, Rwanda sought to return to its pre-colonial roots: a unified, modernised society.
Mutobo instils these values in former FDLR members—a group whose existence revolves around genocide ideology and the goal of reversing Rwanda’s liberation.
Western critics often downplay the FDLR’s threat, arguing it has weakened over the decades. Yet, even at its peak, these same voices criticised Rwanda’s efforts to neutralise the group. They ignore the core issue: the FDLR is not merely a military group—it is the armed wing of a genocidal ideology, drawing from the original Interahamwe militia and the ex-FAR army, many of whom still evade justice.
At Mutobo, every individual has a unique story of how they joined the FDLR or Wazalendo. One common thread, however, is clear: once they joined, leaving became nearly impossible. Commanders threatened them with death even at the suggestion of desertion or returning to Rwanda.
Those who arrive at Mutobo are fortunate. Many were born in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) or were taken there as children by parents who fled Rwanda under pressure from the genocidal regime’s retreat.
These civilians were used as human shields and political props for a so-called government-in-exile. Though Rwanda repatriated many in the late 1990s, some remained trapped—either because of their associations with genocidaires or the sheer expanse of the DRC.
Some established lives in Eastern Congo, even building families. Yet the FDLR maintained its grip, coercing their children into armed service and preaching that Rwanda could only be retaken through violence.
The indoctrination was brutal. “They told us to hate Tutsi and also any Hutu who lives peacefully with Tutsi in Rwanda,” recalls 23-year-old Innocent Byiringiro, born in the DRC. Twice he escaped, only to be recaptured. When fighting erupted in Goma, he and his sister finally fled.
“I always asked why we spoke Kinyarwanda but lived in Congo. My parents said Rwanda was home but we couldn’t return because we’d be killed. When I heard others had returned safely, they claimed they were waiting for papers. It was all lies.”
Byiringiro now lives at Mutobo and speaks of his astonishment at how warmly he was received. “For days I feared they’d turn on me. But instead, I can visit relatives, and all my needs are met.”
His story is echoed by others, including Epimaque Ndacyayisenga, also born in the DRC and recruited as a child. He describes a life of raiding villages, stealing food and possessions, and perpetuating terror.
Kinyarwanda-speaking Tutsi had no such options. “We were told they were our enemies,” says Ndacyayisenga. “The only way back to Rwanda was to kill them all.”
Ironically, his parents returned to Rwanda in 2019, leaving him behind—too afraid to inform the FDLR of their departure, knowing they couldn’t take their children without risk.
Even older recruits like 49-year-old former FDLR “Major” Gilbert Ndayambaje express disbelief at Rwanda’s forgiveness. Captured during the AFC/M23 takeover of Goma, he now says he’s ready to serve the nation he once betrayed. His discomfort when explaining why he left Rwanda in 1998 is telling.
Mutobo opened in 2001, during the height of insurgent activity. Since then, the RDRC has continued to support its graduates after reintegration. Local communities, often family members, are sensitised to the returnees and generally welcome them back.
“We follow up,” says RDRC Secretary-General Francis Musoni. “We’re proud to report that our graduates commit no more crimes than the general population. In fact, we hear of no issues at all.”
Mutobo also reflects Rwanda’s commitment to regional and international agreements. “We fully uphold the Lusaka Agreement,” says Musoni.
The centre was partly established to fulfil the 1999 Lusaka peace accord, which called on regional governments to disarm, demobilise, and rehabilitate armed group members.
For the roughly 13,000 people who have passed through Mutobo, that commitment has meant something more: a chance to reclaim their lives.
Mutobo opened in 2001, at the height of insurgent activity. Since then, the RDRC has continued to support its graduates after their reintegration. Local communities, often including family members, are sensitised to the returnees and generally welcome them back.
“We follow up,” says RDRC Secretary-General Francis Musoni. “We’re proud to report that our graduates commit no more crimes than the general population. In fact, we hear of no issues at all.”
Mutobo also reflects Rwanda’s commitment to regional and international agreements. “We fully uphold the Lusaka Agreement,” Musoni states.
The centre was partly established to fulfil the 1999 Lusaka peace accord, which called on regional governments to disarm, demobilise, and rehabilitate members of armed groups.
For the approximately 13,000 individuals who have passed through Mutobo, this commitment has meant something more: a chance to reclaim their lives.
