In response to Harold E. Acemah’s column in the Sunday Monitor of June 16 titled, ‘Rwanda please listen to President Kikwete’s proposal for peace talks’, there can be no better consultants on matters that affect Rwanda and its citizens than Rwandans themselves who bear the primary responsibility of shaping their destiny.

It is therefore unbecoming for Mr Acemah to perpetuate ideas in support of a group that is responsible for planning and committing genocide and that still vows to “finish the job”.

Nothing can be further from the truth than Mr Acemah’s absurd assertion that “negative forces belong to the majority of Rwandans”.

Rwandans want security, stability and development and they have continued to strive for this at home, in the region and even contributed to peace in far off places on the continent and beyond.

Mr Acemah needs to be reminded that Mwalimu Julius Nyerere would never have made such a proposition because he always preached against and fought genocidal ideology.

Whoever makes the proposal for talks with the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda or Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda ( FDLR) works against Mwalimu’s beliefs.

Had Mr Acemah cared to inform himself, he would have learned that through various efforts, Rwanda has managed to significantly reduce the number of FDLR fighters in the Democratic Republic of Congo both in direct combat (in collaboration with DRC forces) and through a successful demobilisation and rehabilitation programme for those who voluntarily abandon their weapons and the genocidal ideology.

These are the only two options with which Rwanda will engage what remains of the FDLR.

Those who knowingly or unknowingly advocate for genocide perpetrators, like Mr Acemah, and those who hold on to genocide ideology should be clear on one thing- while Rwandans build a new country over the mass graves of those we lost, we will never allow genocide ideology a chance to take root in Rwanda.

We are committed, more than ever, to fight genocide ideology wherever it exists.

Rwanda High Commission in Uganda