Former soldiers are accusing the government of ignoring them and failing to pay them their stipends and other allowances which has led to untold suffering.

The ex-combatants last week staged a sit-in at the Rwanda Demobilisation and Reintegration Commission (RDRC) offices in Remera, demanding that the government honours its pledge to provide them with their monthly living allowance, school fees and transport among others.

The former soldiers say the government institution charged with their welfare has not paid them allowances for months, leading many of them to be evicted by their respective landlords for failing to pay rent.

They say the government had promised them monthly stipends for food and transport as well as help them in vocational training.

When Rwanda Today visited the RDRC offices on Tuesday, a group of about 50 men were seated outside, claiming that they would not leave without a deal on how to get their allowances.

The demobilised soldiers declined interviews with the press while those who agreed to speak did so on condition of anonymity.

They claimed that they had gone for over five months without their allowances while those who were selected to go back to school were left to their own devices, yet they had left their jobs with the hope that they would go back to school to acquire more skills.

“Our leaders had agreed with directors from different vocational training institutes that we start our studies but even the Rwf5,000 for transport is no longer given.

“For more than five months, we have not received anything and our landlords back home are chasing us away from their houses for rent. I wonder how a person who fought and liberated the country can fail to pay rent,” one former combatant, who is now pursuing a diploma in plumbing, said.

They threatened to make the office premises their new home, vowing to bring along their wives and children.

RDRC, which is charged with ensuring that ex-combatants are taken care of, said the standoff will be resolved soon.

RDRC chairman Jean Sayinzoga, said the institution was aware of the issue but there have been delays of funds from the donors, who support the programme.

“They all know that the money doesn’t come from the government but from donors. We explain everything in case of changes, especially when there are delays of these funds they are aware.

“If we have not yet got money for them to go back to school or for their allowances, we let them know. We hope everything is going to be sorted out in a few days, before they go back to school,” Mr Sayinzoga told Rwanda Today.

Most of the protesting ex-soldiers are students with about a month to go before they complete their courses.

“This office doesn’t belong to me, but to the government. So it’s always open to the people whom I serve and I am ready to hear their problems. They have a leader who should be presenting their grievances to us so that we can find solutions instead of the whole group coming to stage here,” Mr Sayinzoga added.

The institution promised allowances to these former combatants before September 20.

According to reports, RDRC was affected by donor aid cuts over allegations that Rwanda was linked to M23 rebels in Eastern DR Congo, but it denies the allegations.
Rwanda has so far demobilised and reintegrated about 80, 000 former combatants since 2001.