Citation
The recent study conducted by the National Commission for the Fight against Genocide (CNLG) on the history of the genocide against the Tutsi in the former Ruhengeri prefecture has revealed that the Genocide was tested many times in this prefecture from 1990s.
The former Ruhengeri prefecture was the homeland for many prominent civil and military leaders of the then regime. Most of played key role in planning the genocide and advocated for its perpetration.
The findings of the study reveal that the Tutsi in the former Ruhengeri prefecture were tortured, killed, deprived of their rights since 1959 including burning their homes, killing them, derogating them form their properties and expelling them to Bugesera among other threatening acts.
Since then, the rule of the first and second republics was characterised by preaching aimed to incite the Hutu on hating the Tutsi, to carry out acts of violence against them, training civilians and giving them guns in order to plung them into killings to the extent that in 1994, all preparations had been duly completed pending the official order start the genocide.
In the former Ruhengeri prefecture, different reports show that the Tutsi were victims of acts of violence and killings in different stretches between 1990 and 1993. Here, we can cite for instance the killings of the Bagogwe in the communes of Mukingo, Kinigi, Nkuli and others.
The study shows that from January 1991, there were killings of Tutsi in the communes of Nkuli, Mukingo, Kinigi, Kigombe, Nkumba and Kidaho. The killers alleged them to be spies of RPF-Inkotanyi that had started the liberation war in 1october 1990.
In the communes of Ndusu, Cyabingo, Cyeru, Ruhondo, Nyamugari, Nyamutera and Butaro, burgomasters or sector advisors (Konseye) abducted the Tutsi and detained them in the dungeons of the commune, those they deemed necessary were transferred to prosecution.
The study shows several proofs of how the genocide against the Tutsi was planned and executed in the former prefecture of Ruhengeri.
These include but not exhaustively depriving the Tutsi of their accusing them of cooperating with RPF-Inkotanyi, killing the Tutsi throughout night patrols as well as deliberate killing of the Tutsi between 1990 and 1993 in the former Ruhengeri prefecture after RPF-Inkotanyi launched the liberation war on the 1st of October 1990.
Persecutions against the Tutsi coincided with depriving them of their properties with nowhere to sue those who carry out acts of violence against them where local leaders and security agents entered any home of a wealthy Tutsi and took anything valuable they could find. The Tutsi were stripped of their lands as some of their neighbours appropriated themselves of those lands. There are some Tutsi who were forced to sell their lands parcels to their neighbours on cheaper price or forced to give up their parcels so they are occupied by the lessees.
Witnesses affirm that seizing livestock or lands of the Tutsi was carried out in different parts of the prefecture by sector advisors (Konseye) and members of the cell. No Tutsi was entitled to arraign to court those committing acts of violence against them.
Night patrols were used as means to kill the Tutsi where from the 1st October 1990 roadblocks were set up in different areas of Ruhengeri prefecture, and a program to carry out night patrols was set up as well. Even though the night patrols were meant for the citizen to assure security themselves, this was worse for the Tutsi because any Tutsi who went to the night patrols was killed there. It later happened for the Tutsi to pay much money so they could not go to night patrols.
The deliberate killing of the Tutsi between 1990 and 1993 in the former Ruhengeri prefecture after RPF-Inkotanyi launched the liberation war in October 1990:
The Tutsi in different communes of the former Ruhengeri prefecture were persecuted and serially killed at the beginning. Deliberate killing started after RPF-Inkotanyi launched a heavy attack on the town of Ruhengeri on 23rd January 1991.
Since then, deliberate killings started and targeted the Tutsi Bagogwe of the communes of Nkuli, Mukingo and Kinigi.
Apart from the testing of the Genocide against the Tutsi, other activities that characterised its preparation before the very genocide in 1994 in the former Ruhengeri prefecture include incitement hatred, revisionism and killings through the meetings, elaboration of lists of the Tutsi who had to be killed, establishment of militia gangs namely Interahamwe, Amahindure, ,Abazulu, Intarumikwa, Turihose and Virunga Force.
Other activities include training and distribution of grenades to militias, civilians, local leaders like sector advisors, burgomasters and whoever needed it.
The study on the history of the Genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in the former Ruhengeri prefecture was carried out in four Districts namely Musanze, Nyabihu, Gakenke and Burera. The above mentioned Districts comprise the former 16 communes of the former Ruhengeri prefecture. Those communes were Kigombe, Kidaho, Kinigi, Mukingo, Nkuli, Nkumba, Nyakinama, Nyamutera, Ruhondo, Gatonde, Cyabingo, Ndusu, Nyarutovu, Cyeru, Butaro and Nyamugali.
