In a rare occurrence, the Ministry of Public Service and Labour declared a four-day holiday break to mark Independence and Liberation Days leading to a six-day holiday including the weekend through to Sunday, July 6.
According to a public notice issued by the Ministry of Public Service and Labour on social media, July 1, 2025 will be an official Independence Day, while July 4, 2025 will mark the 31 st Liberations Day respectively.
In addition to the official holidays on July 1 and July 4, the government also granted Wednesday, July 2, and Thursday, July 3, as extra public holidays — a first of its kind, aimed at allowing citizens ample time to celebrate and reflect on the country’s milestones.
The statement further reads in part, “the official work will resume on Monday July 7, 2025, while essential services will remain open.”
The government has aligned the event with Liberation Day — locally known as Kwibohora — which takes place three days later. Liberation Day marks the triumph of the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), under the leadership of President Paul Kagame, over the former regime of Juvenal Habyarimana and the Rwandan Armed Forces during the country’s civil war. The RPF’s victory brought an end to the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which lasted 100 days.
Rene Anthere Rwaanyange, a managing editor at Panorama Newspaper, says that the most celebrated day in Rwanda is the 4th of July. The country gained independence while half of the populations were refugees, and some colonial powers were still involved in the administration of the country.
“Even though the country gained independence, none of the top leaders took the initiative to unite all Rwandans. They propagated divisionism and hate… The 4th of July is considered the beginning of unity for all Rwandans after the Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi,” he adds.
