Senators are pushing for a study to analyse the progress of the country’s goal for unity and reconciliation after parents were blamed for advocating genocide ideology among young children who were born after the genocide.

According to the annual National Unity and Reconciliation Commission report presented before the senate recently, genocide ideology, which has been rife among Rwandans living outside the country, could become another tough battle to fight in the country.

Members of the unity and reconciliation commission alleged that cases of ideology often manifested during the commemoration period have equally been increasing with reported cases of children below 10 years being indoctrinated by parents and former genocide convicts.

“We should get ready for a new wave of genocide ideology peddlers who sow it among young children born after the genocide. There is an example of a primary 3 child who walked out of school in protest over the substitute teacher who was a Tutsi,” said Rtd Bishop John Rucyahana.

Survey

In the next eight months, the commission has committed to conducting a survey on the challenges facing unity and reconciliation efforts among 6,000 children and youth between three years to 30 years.

According to Senator Tito Rutaremara, teachers could be doing their best to strengthen principles of unity and reconciliation, while some parents fuel divisions and ethnicity at home.

In a 2016 report by the National Commission to Fight against Genocide, confirmed the rate of genocide ideology at 16.1 per cent.

The law on genocide ideology provides that any person found guilty of denial, minimisation, justification and genocide ideology is liable to serve between two to four years in prison and a possible fine of not less than Rwf500,000 but not exceeding Rwf1 million.