Citation
The Bisesero Resistance
1.
Name: Sylver Gatwaza
Cellule: Ngabo
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Farmer/cattle breeder
Marital Status: Married
Age: 27 years old
Before the start of the genocide, I lived with my father, Jean Ruhanamilindi. I was not
married. My mother had died well before this time. Despite the fact that I had no
mother, I was still happy. I did not have any problems. My father or older brothers
used to help me. I was the youngest of eleven children. I spent all day looking after my
father’s cows which I found really interesting.
When President Habyarimana died, we had many problems. The military
soldiers first went to the Musenyi sector. When we heard this, we immediately went to
repel the attack. The whole day was spent fighting and in the evening, we all gathered
on one hill. The next day, the bourgmestre from the commune of Gisovu, policemen
and militiamen assembled on the hill of Nyakigugu. They began to shoot at us and they
killed the wife of someone called Munyurangabo from our cellule. She was carrying a
child on her back. We felt angry with the killers because we had followed them with
the objective of killing them but they had run away. After this, we looked for stones,
clubs, small hoes, swords and spears.
We asked the elderly and the young people to teach us how to fight. Every day
the militiamen arrived in cars which belonged to Obed Ruzindana and the
bourgmestres from Gisovu and Gishyita in order to kill us. Nevertheless, during the
month of April 1994, they were disappointed because we killed a lot of militiamen.
I remember when we killed a lieutenant and his body guards (or escorts). One
morning at the beginning of May 1994, a large number of militiamen, wearing white
clothes, launched an attack with the use of grenades. We hid or lay down and the
genocidal criminals advanced. The battle began immediately. One lieutenant threw a
grenade and three Tutsis were instantly killed. A man called Ntagozera (a Tutsi), hit
the lieutenant over the head with a small hoe. He fell and lost control of his bladder
and his gun fell out of his hands. We surrounded him and hit him with machetes. He
died along with four other soldiers who were guarding him. We killed many militiamen
that day.
We looked in the lieutenant’s pockets and checked his identity. He was from
the commune of Gaseke, in the Gisenyi préfecture. We saw the sheet of paper which
said in writing that he was going to receive five million francs and twenty-five cows
after he had killed all the Tutsis from Bisesero. It did not say who actually signed this
contract.
When the leaders of the militia realised that we had killed soldiers, they went to
call other militiamen and soldiers for back-up to kill us. On 13 April 1994, a great
many militiamen came in buses and trucks. They surrounded us and proceeded to kill
many people especially women and children. We were really exhausted by then
because we were suffering from hunger. The militiamen had gathered all our crops
from our fields. They had also broken our utensils which we needed for cooking. That
day, they managed to separate us in such a way that it made it easier for them to kill
us. The hills were covered with bodies. From that moment onwards, I decided to hide
in the bush. All my brothers and sisters were dead.
I stayed in hiding until the French soldiers arrived. They rounded us up onto
one hill and drove us to the RPF zone a few days later. When the RPF soldiers arrived
in Bisesero, we went back there.
I had lost my whole family and all my possessions. I was forced to marry a
survivor from Bisesero straight away so that someone would be there to help me.
Before the genocide, I had a girlfriend. I loved her a lot. So much so that I had asked
her to marry me. She accepted. In those days, when one got married, there were
ceremonies, dancing, singing and the parents invited many people. The guests would
give cows etc to the newly-wed couple.
I thought a lot about the day I was to get married with this girl but the
genocide changed everything. She is dead now. My wife also lost her family during the
genocide. There is no-one to help us. She recently gave birth. No woman came to help
me make the gruel for her. Before the genocide, when a woman gave birth, the
mother-in-law and sisters-in-law came to look after the baby and mother. The husband
did not do anything. I am the one who now draws water from the well and who
prepares the food because my wife is still weak.
The wives of the other survivors who could help me, are Hutu. Hutu wives
cannot come to my home in case they poison us. I no longer visit the other survivors
because of their Hutu wives. However, the survivors fo Bisesero have founded an
association called ‘Abadaharana of Bisesero’. This is so that all the survivors can meet
together.
We now have cabbages, peas and potatoes growing. With the money that we
will receive by selling these products, we are going to be able to do start a business.
Someone called Clavet Buzizi, from Bisesero, and who works in Butare in a church,
has built us a house for doing business. If any survivor has a problem, we will help him
by giving him some money.
Another association (ARDEC) is in the process of building us one hundred
houses on the hill of Gisoro, in the cellule of Gitwa in the Bisesero sector.
Perhaps by getting together, we will be able to do something.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 7 February 1997.
2.
Name: Efesto Habiyambere
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
Age: 28 years old
The people from the Bisesero region came from various tribes but we were united. I
am from the Umunyiginya tribe and my wife, Nyirankumbuye, was from the Umuhima
tribe. We had two children, one boy and one girl.
There were many young girls and boys in Bisesero. They would gather on the
hill during the day and play sport. They also played when they were looking after the
cows. None of the Tutsis from Bisesero studied. Their occupation was looking after
the cows. Some of the young people wanted to join the FAR (Forces Armées
Rwandaises). They had passed all the relevant exams, for example running etc, but the
military officers had prevented them from joining, the reason being that the Abasesero
were Tutsis. They were very slender and were apparently unable to handle a gun. So
we remained isolated in our region, and no-one could attack us.
After President Habyarimana’s death, Tutsi houses were burned down in the
commune of Gishyita in Mubuga. The Tutsi intellectuals were the first to be killed. On
the 9 April 1994, the militiamen from this commune launched an attack on the sector
of Musenyi, in the Bisesero region. These militiamen were accompanied by military
soldiers who were carrying guns. We managed to resist this attack by throwing stones
at them. Despite the fact that we were returning their attack, they still managed to kill
several people from our group.
As soon as this happened, we gathered together on the hill. People were
starting to panic. They couldn’t eat from fear. Me and other young people like Nzigira
(from the Umunyiginya tribe), Gatwaza (from the Umuhima tribe) and Habimana (from
the Umuhima tribe) went up to the other young people who were afraid and tried to
raise their spirits. Two old people, called Karamaga et Birara were giving
encouragement to prepare the people for battle against the militiamen. The children
and women started to look for stones to collect. We put them in our bags. For the first
few days, everyone warmed themselves at night by the fire. Often, however, it rained
and the people shivered in the cold.
The militiamen launched attacks every day. They arrived in Obed Ruzindana’s
cars which were in fact trucks used to transport tea from Gisovu. When they arrived
they were singing. They were wearing white clothes and grass on their heads. When I
saw them attacking, I would immediately take my spear and club and put the bag of
stones around my neck and I would ask the others to follow me. Nzigira would take
another group and we would follow the orders that the two old men gave us.
When the militiamen attacked, we would lie down at first. This was because
they were throwing grenades. Afterwards, we would mingle with the attackers and
fight. When they saw that about two militiamen were dead, they would immediately
retreat. Someone would be looking to see if the stones were all gone and then they
would ask the women and children to quickly get more. If anyone from our group
retreated out of fear, Birara or Karamaga would immediately hit them with their clubs.
In the evening, when the militiamen had gone home, we would gather together
again so that those who were still alive should know to carry on fighting until the very
end. When my mother was still alive, she used to come and beg me not to go at the
front of the others when a battle took place. She wanted to prevent me from doing this
because I was the only boy in a family of girls. I was the only son she had. For the first
time she was afraid that I would die. Not once did I listen to my mother’s advice. I
always went to the front. During the whole of the month of April, we were attacked
but each time we were the victorious ones because we managed to kill many
militiamen, police and soldiers. We also took their weapons, such as guns.
Two weeks prior to 13 May 1994, there was a moment of respite. We thought
that peace had been reestablished and we started to farm our fields and to bury the
dead.
On the 13 May 1994, at about 9:00 a.m., we saw a large number of cars
arriving, such as lorries, buses and trucks. They were full of militiamen. When they
arrived at a spot near to where we had gathered, they surrounded us and began to
shoot us using different guns. In less than an hour, they had killed practically all the
women and children.
There was no longer any point in throwing stones now. We had to create a
path amongst the militiamen so as to avoid being caught. Our men all attacked one
particular group of militiamen who were consequently frightened and they opened up
the path for us. We ran to hide in the bush. That day, they managed to break all the
crockery and any other materials we had.
The next day, they came back to comb through everything. We could no longer
see any grass. Instead, we saw corpses; women with children on their backs who were
dead. The genocidal killers had undressed the bodies! It was a terrible sight.
As I was walking at night, I fell over my mothers body. I asked the survivors to
help me bury her. I don’t know where the bodies of my children and the other
members of my family are exposed.
The militiamen continued their attacks although there were not as many of
them as there were during the attack of 13 May 1994. Despite there being only a small
group of us left, now that practically all the people were dead, we carried on fighting.
Nzigira gave us much courage but unfortunately he was killed.
Nzigira and I were in an attack together, the day he was killed. The militiamen
were throwing stones and saying ‘These are the people who are preventing us from
receiving our reward from Obed Ruzindana. We have to find a way to kill them.’
Nzigira was then hit on the foot with a stone. He began to limp. I helped him withdraw
because I could see that it was impossible to carry on the fight. As we were walking
back, a soldier saw us and shot at us. Nzigira was hit and he fell. The militiamen came
to finish him off with a machete. I was shot in the knee but I was still able to walk. I
went and hid in a bush. The militiamen who saw me going to the bush, set light to it to
kill me. I escaped from the smoke and went to hide elsewhere.
I remained in Bisesero, with all the bodies around me. I couldn’t find anything
to eat or drink. I was very thin and my hair was dirty. My skin was all scaly because I
had not been able to wash myself for two months.
However, I was still alive when the French soldiers arrived to drive us to the
RPF zone in Gitarama. When the genocide was over, I came back to the commune of
Gisovu with another group of survivors. We inhabited the centre of Gakuta near the
office of the commune. We were really poor there and many people were ill. The
Hutus, who we had known before, would walk passed us, look at us and make fun of
us. They asked themselves if we were really the powerful Abasesero who were so wellreputed. When we heard what people were saying, we decided to go back to our hill.
Three survivors got together and built a small house.
Now we live on our hill. We are just widowers who can’t farm. We no longer
have any cows to be able to drink milk. I am still young but I do not have the means to
do business for example and I have not done any studies to be able to find myself a job.
Before the genocide there were houses and cows around us; now there are only
bushes.
When the genocide was over, I was happy because I saw that there were no
more Tutsis being killed with machetes. Now survivors are again being killed with
machetes.
We are always being asked on the radio and in meetings to be reconciled with
the Hutu militiamen. I wonder how we can find the right moment to go and visit the
militiamen so that we can all be reconciled. There are many of us who are disabled and
cannot walk. At night, we stay in the bush because otherwise the militiamen can find us
in our houses to kill us. Because of this, we can no longer sleep. During the day, we do
not do anything because we are too weak and are spirits are so low. People should
know that we do not have time to be reconciled with militiamen who killed our wives,
mothers and children and who carry on killing us. They tell us that the prisons are full
and that there is not enough room for the other militiamen who should be imprisoned.
We do not have room in our hearts for reconciliation. Our hearts are full of sadness
and sorrow.
Interviewed in Gitaburo, 9 February 1997.
3.
Name: Esdras Havugimana (Hutu)
Cellule: Gitovu
Sector: Gishyita
Commune: Gishyita
Age: 40 years old
Marital Status: Married and father of five children
Profession: Teacher
The militiamen from Cyangugu, who were known as ‘Yusufu’s interahamwe’ came, to
the best of my knowledge, at the beginning of the month of May 1994. At the time I
was a teacher at the primary school of Gishyita. They often went passed the school, at
about 9:00 a.m., and they returned in the afternoon at around 3:00 p.m.
One day, they returned to Bisesero and arrived at the school. It was at a time
when we were not in class. Everybody looked at the vehicules which were parked, and
someone pointed Yusufu out to me, who was sitting in the passenger seat of a
Daïhatsu truck. I do not know what colour it was. He was, if I remember rightly, a
chubby man who seemed to be fairly old because his hair was white in places. The
militiamen were carrying bayonets. I was told that that day they had spent the night at
Mika Muhimana’s house which was not far from our primary school.
Apart from the killers from Cyangugu, there were other unknown killers in the
area who took part in the killings of Kizenga. They were part of the Gisenyi and
Rutsiro groups. Those from Gisenyi spent nights at the centre of Gishyita and they
stayed (leur réception) at the councillor, Mika’s, house.
Interviewed in Gitarama prison, 17 March 1997.
4. Name: Elizaphan Kajuga
Cellule: Kigarama
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Widower of Genocide
Age: 55 years old
The day after the president’s death, they began to burn down the houses in the
neighbouring sectors. We thought that they were perhaps bandits who were doing this.
Two days later, we were attacked in the sector of Musenyi. We took our spears,
machetes and sticks to chase the bandits away. When we got there, we noticed that the
inhabitants of the sector of Mubuga were also there, together with the communal
police. They were armed with spears, guns, grenades and hammers etc.
We fought a lot. The people on our side were killed on the battlefield but we
did manage to chase them away. Other militiamen from Gisovu arrived but the other
Abasesero group fought these attackers off.
In the evening we decided to stay together so that we could create a united
self-defense block. The survivors from the other sectors and communes came to look
for shelter in Bisesero. For a long time they had thought of us as strong and we
deserved this reputation. In 1962, for example, when the Tutsis were being killed, we
were attacked by Hutu inhabitants. We fought against them and they fled. They went
to call the soldiers. Misigaro was the police superintendant but they failed. In the years
following, we increased in number because no-one was killed.
In 1973, Tutsi killings took place again. The Tutsis were killed, their houses
were destroyed, and their cows were killed as well. Yet in our region, no-one dared to
do such a thing. The Hutus were afraid of us. This was why the Tutsis from Kibuye did
not go into exile. Many stayed where they were because they knew how to fight.
We stayed in Bisesero and reared our cows. Our children only went as far as
doing their primary school work and then they looked after the cows. This was
because they did not have access to secondary school because they were Tutsis. There
were very few educated Tutsis and anyway those who were educated became teachers.
All the educated people were arrested in 1990, accused of being supporters of the
RPF. For example, Charles Kayibanda who was a farmer, Vianney Ntagara, who was
and still is the assistant bourgmestre of Gishyita, Basile Ruzibiza, a teacher, Edouard
Muzindutsi, a teacher and Basile Mwanafunzi, also a teacher. They were released after
six months.
During the genocide in April 1994, the educated Tutsis were the first to be
hunted down and attacked. In the same vein, the rich Tutsi who came to Bisesero were
killed savagely; for example Assiel Kabanda who was a shopkeeper in Gishyita. His
head was cut off. Charles, the communal police officer in Gishyita, was killed. He was
mutilated and his sex organs were hung on an electric pole in front of Kabanda’s shop
in Gishyita. They are still there now.
During the genocide in April 1994, we gathered together on the Muyira hill in
the cellule of Bisesero, sector Rwankuba, commune Gisovu. We made piles of stones
which we were going to use to defend ourselves. At the beginning, the attacks were
everyday. We fought ferociously because at that stage we were still strong because we
were eating. When the militiamen attacked us, they came with their wives and children
who gathered the crops that were supposed to feed us. Since we no longer had any
food, we had to eat our cows. The militiamen saw that we were still eating so when
they launched attacks, they broke our cooking pots and saucepans. Our leader, Birara,
his son Nzigira and Karamaga, who were all very strong, told us to be brave so that we
would carry on fighting. They advised us to put strips of material round our waist to
support us.
We killed policemen such as Ruhindura, as well as soldiers. We even took their
guns although we did not know how they worked. The militiamen were heavily-armed.
They would attack after they had eaten. However, despite the fact that they had backup and were healthy, we fought them back with our spears. In the light of our defence,
the militiamen did not attack us for some weeks. We thought that the war was over.
However we were wrong; they were preparing to launch a large-scale attack.
In the middle of May 1994, a large number of buses, trucks, and vans filled
with militiamen, arrived. It was on a Saturday at around 9:00 a.m. They parked their
vehicules at a place called Ku Nama. Afterwards they surrounded us and began to
throw grenades at us. They were also shooting their guns and fighting with their
machetes. They neutralised us so much so that we could no longer put up a resistance.
Each person looked for a way to escape. The women and children, who no
longer had the strength to run, were killed instantly. My wife, Adèle Mukangakwaya,
and my two children, a baby and Gaspard Nsengimana who was studying in the fourth
year at primary school, died that day. All the hills of Bisesero were strewned with
bodies.
I spent all day running and hiding in the bush. Everyday the militiamen came to
attack us. My clothes were torn and my feet were swollen. I had nothing to eat. In the
evening, when the militiamen went back home, I would go along the hills looking for
water from the streams. What shocked me was that all the streams of Bisesero were
filled with bodies. The water had become red. I became used to seeing the bodies the
whole time so I no longer felt sick. I drank the water despite the fact that I saw bits of
bodies of my own family members in the water. I could not do anything about it. There
were only a few of us still alive. Many of us were ill and had been hit by machetes.
Despite all the problems we had, the people, who still had some strength left,
continued to fight. As we were fighting, we thought that the RPF soldiers would
eventually arrive to free us. But it was towards the end of June that the French soldiers
came. When they arrived they gave us treatment and food to eat. The people who were
very sick were taken to Goma (Zaire).
A few days later, the French soldiers drove us to the RPF zone in the commune
of Kivumu (Kibuye). Afterwards we went to Kabgayi (Gitarama) where there were
other survivors.
After the country had been taken over by the soldiers of the RPF, we went
back to Bisesero. We lived in houses which used to be bars. They were just next to the
office of our commune. We were in the centre which was far away from our fields and
no-one looked after us. We did not have any food. My two children had escaped the
genocide as well as two of my brother’s children. My brother had died during the
genocide. I stayed with the four children. I realised that we could die of starvation so I
thought it better to go back home. The children helped me to set up a tent.
We began to farm our fields and whilst we did this we ate the vegetables that
we found in the fields. We later built a small house. My children made me feel a bit
better. I knew that the genocidal criminals were far away from me. I was told that
some of them had gone to Zaire and others had gone to Tanzania.
Recently all the genocidal criminals have come back to the country. They have
come back with their guns and the authorities have received them well. They were
helped a lot, for example they received foodstuffs etc. Because they were well
received, they began to despise us and search for a way to kill us. Now I can’t sleep
anymore. I keep on seeing militiamen everywhere I go.
On 5 February 1997, I went to fetch some provisions such as soap, hoes,
blankets etc, that Claver Buzizi had given to the Abasesero ( the name for the people
who live in the Bisesero region). I spent the whole day chatting with other survivors.
Then I went home at around 6:00 p.m. At around 8:00 p.m., my children gave me
some food to eat. We were sitting in the yard in front of our house, eating. Then I saw
some people who were coming up towards us with torches. The attackers were saying
‘We have to surround them first to be able to hit them with the machetes’. When we
heard these words, we left our food and ran out of our house shouting to the people to
come and help us. Many people came to our aid. They came beating their drums to
frighten the attackers. The attackers ran off shooting although no-one from our group
was hurt. Some of the attackers died, others went to hide in the forest between the
Gisovu and Gishyita communes.
In January 1997, the attackers killed Martin Nkusi (a farmer from the sector of
Gitabura in the commune of Gisovu) as well as his brother, Nsengiyumva. That same
day, they killed Nzasabimana and his child. They were all survivors of the genocide.
We were all together in Bisesero during the genocide.
We are not at ease. We are always panicking in case we will be killed. From
1959 up until now, the Hutus have wanted to kill us. I cannot therefore be reconciled
with the genocidal criminals. They wanted to kill me and my family, so I had to give up
all my possessions. I asked another survivor to put me up for a while. It is a small
house and there are many of us there. I have to spend the night in the same bed as my
children. Usually parents are supposed to have their own rooms. After all these
problems that we have because of them, how can we be reconciled? After the
genocide, some of the survivors married Hutu women because there were no Tutsi
women left. The Hutu women’s families have begun poisoning the survivors. For
example, Madibongo, the survivor from the sector of Ngoma, was poisoned by his
Hutu family-in-law. They admitted before the authorities, that it was they who killed
him. So there is no question of reconciliation.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 7 February 1997.
5.
Name: Anastase Kalisa
Before the genocide
Cellule: Wingabo
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
After the genocide
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 24 years old
Profession: Agricultural Animateur?
Marital Status: Married
The day after President Habyarimana’s death, we received Tutsi refugees from
Gishyita to our region. They told us that they were fleeing their commune because the
Hutus were killing the Tutsis. They said that the Hutus had burned a farmer with oil.
We felt the need to prepare to fight against any attacks that might be launched on us.
We all gathered up with all our weapons.
On Friday, 8 April 1994, the bourgmestre of the Gisovu commune came to
Rwankuba, in the Bisesero cellule. He began to collect the weapons up. We didn’t
want to give our weapons away but we had to, because the police told us that they
would shoot us otherwise. Some of us eventually handed them in. Our weapons were
machetes, spears and clubs. It was at this point that the Tutsis from the Nyamtovu
cellule (in the sector of Bisesero, commune of Gishyita) were attacked. We went to
give them some extra support and during the attack we managed to force the
interahamwe militiamen to retreat. The militiamen reorganized themselves. At about
2:00 p.m., they launched another attack with their guns and grenades. The battle went
on for a short while and in the evening they went home.
Their routine was to attack us during the day. They were afraid of us because
they knew that the Tutsis from Bisesero had, for a long time now, always put up an
incredible resistance against any attacks that were launched on them. They thought that
if they attacked at night the probability of them being killed was greater.
The next day we went to Muyira with our cattle in order to fully prepare
ourselves for another attack. The bourgmestre Ndimbati arrived with a group of
heavily-armed attackers. We fought against them and both sides lost people.
This carried on until 13 May (April) 1994, when the interahamwe militiamen
and ex-FAR soldiers attacked us from all sides. They shot at us and a lot of people
were massacred, the majority being women and children who did not have the strength
to run. The others managed to save their lives by running. Each time we met an enemy
group made up of relatively few people, we would fight against them. We managed to
kill some of them. Their tactic was to surround us in order to block the routes which
led to the Rwandese Patriotic Front (RPF) zones and to prevent us from throwing
ourselves in the river Kivu. Instead, they wanted us to die at the hands of the enemy
with the use of machetes. When we succeeded in neutralising an attack from a small
group of attackers, we would steal their weapons. We were at the end of our tether
when the French soldiers came to our aid. This was at the end of June 1994. They
rounded us up to so that we would be safe. Because they were worried about our
safety, they evacuated us to zones which had been taken over by the Rwandese
Patriotic Front (FPR) in Gitarama.
Soon afterwards, my brother-in-law took me to Kigali. He was a driver and
was responsible for me. I went back home to rebuild our house. I used sheetings
(corrugated iron??) which I had to buy.
Before the genocide, my family had been a large one. I lived with my parents,
brothers, nieces and nephews. Now I am all alone. We used to live off the land but all
our cattle was stolen and now the fields are barren due to the lack of manure from the
animals.
I was hit with a stone and massue on the shoulder. As a result, when I work
hard, I fall ill. It’s very difficult to find money to look after myself when I’m ill. If I do
fall seriously ill, I find it impossible to find anyone to take me to hospital because the
only other person I live with is my wife. My wife is presently in hospital. I can’t find
anyone to look after her. I have to work so I am forced to pay someone to look after
her. There’s a risk that if I go and see her, I will be fired. My wife is unhappy when I
don’t go and see her because she thinks that I’m abandoning her.
We know that the families of the people who we have brought to justice, want
to take revenge on us by killing us. Some of us have already become victims of acts of
revenge. A man called Martin Nkusi, who used to be a policeman in the commune of
Gisovu, and his son were recently killed simply because they had the courage to bring
the genocidal criminals to justice.
I accept the way justice is being done at the moment. The only problem is that
there is an insufficient number of witnesses who can testify against the genocidal
criminals. A lot of witnesses are needed to create a dossier on a genocidal criminal.
Those in charge of the cellules and the councillors of the sectors, do not make
it any easier for us to retrieve our belongings which were stolen during the genocide.
They are not on our side. The Hutus were elected in positions of authority at the time
when we were evacuated to Gitarama. Many of them participated in the genocide and
those who elected them, did so because they wanted to be protected against being
brought to justice.
The same thing happened in the sector of Twumba where the councillor
Ngongo was in charge, and similarly in the sector of Gikarnaka, under the supervision
of Rugaragara. However, presently they are all in prison on the charge of being
genocidal criminals. Likewise, this happened in several cellules where certain people
have authority. (?)In short, the fact that we have people who are in positions of
authority who participated in the genocide and who we did not elect, means that they
do not understand our problems.
I used to be a follower of the Catholic Church before the genocide. Now, I am
an adventist. I changed because the priests participated in the genocide themselves,
instead of showing us the right way. One example is the priest Marcel who originally
comes from the commune of Mwendo. He participated in the genocide. Each time he
finished mass, he gave us a lot of propaganda about the political party MRND. This is
why so many people have left the Catholic Church.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 12 February 1997.
6.
Name: Cathérine Kamayenge
Cellule: Rwabirembo
Sector: Musenyi
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 75 years old
Marital Status: Widow of the genocide
When the genocide began in our region, I was at home with my daughters who had
come to see me. We were preparing the evening meal when a woman, who was a
neighbour, called me to ask me why we were still at home. The other people had
already gone to the hills because the militiamen had started to burn down the houses
and kill the Tutsis.
I decided to gather together the valuable things so that I could hide them at a
Hutu neighbours’ house. His name was Joseph Rwamakuba and I hoped that he would
keep them for us.
After I had done this, my husband, Marcel Gasamunyiga, my daughters,
Belthilde Mukagasana and Ancilla Uwimana, their children and myself took the road to
seek refuge on the mountain of Nyabitare and on the Muyira hill. It began to rain at the
time and we were shivering a lot. The cows mooed and the children began to cry.
From that day on, we spent the rest of our lives in the bush.
The next day, the Interwahamwe started to attack us. They were led by our
councillor Muhirwa and a policeman, Rwigimba. My husband was the first to die
because he was the one who was guarding the cows when the militiamen came to steal
them. My husband was hit on the head with a stone and he died immediately. We did
not have too many problems burying him because it was still at the beginning of the
genocide and things had not become too serious. They continued to kill the people, to
steal the cows and to gather the crops so that we would die of hunger. It was done in
such a way that to have some food we would had to buy it. What we did manage to
buy, came from young people who risked their lives fetching it from the mountains at
night. At the time, an ear of sorghum cost 30 francs, a stem of sorghum cost 20 francs.
The people used it to quench their thirst.
Even though the génocidaires were attacking us, we still tried to organise
ourselves. The Tutsi men carried spears and machetes to try and defend us. The
women and girls had the responsibility of collecting stones and creating steres so that
they could push back the attackers. We therefore had to spend the whole of each day
collecting these stones. My old age did not exempt me from the agony of collecting
stones. We killed quite a lot of militiamen. They feared attacking us because of our
resistance.
Due to such a resistance, the genocidal criminals went to fetch help from
elsewhere. In the middle of May 1994, the most terrible attack came upon us. People,
heavily-armed with guns and grenades, came on board buses and trucks and
surrounded us. They began to loot.
We felt totally demoralised so much so that each person just looked for a way
to save himself. That day the elderly, the women and the children were killed, unable to
flee for their lives. We could see bodies on the hills. There were people who were
almost dead and babies feeding from the breasts of their dead mothers. My son, my
daughter’s child and myself went to hide in the bush. Each evening we gathered
together as usual to see if we were still all alive. That day we waited in vain for my
daughters; my son helped me search for them among the corpses to check to see
whether they were dead.
Two days after their death, we found them in a place called Runyangingo. We
did not have any hoes to dig a grave so we just put them on the grass. Then we
returned to the bush. I did not have any strength left and I could no longer eat. I had
no more clothes. I was like an old animal. I saw the dogs devouring the corpses.
I hid in the bush until the French soldiers arrived. They took care of us and
took us to the areas which were controlled by the RPF in the commune of Kivumu.
Then we went to Kabgayi. It was only after the whole country had been taken over
that I returned to Kibuye. My house had been completely destroyed so I lived in
François Mvunabandi’s house, who had taken refuge in Zaire. The house had two very
narrow rooms and it had no facilities at all. It reminded me of the life I used to lead
before the genocide.
Prior to the genocide, I had a husband who I lived with. He was very caring
towards me. I also had seven children (boys and girls). Six of them died during the
genocide along with their own families (i.e. their children, husbands and wives). They
were
1. Thaddée Rutabendura, who died along with his four children;
2. Anastasie Mukamutesi, who died her three children;
3. Marie Mukandoli, who died with her six children;
4. Bernadette Nyiranjara, who died with her four children;
5. Belthilde Mukagansana, who died with her three children;
6. Ancilla Uwimana, who died along with her three children.
I used to live like a queen amongst my children. We had three large houses and
several stables for the cows. We even had a place to put the goats. I did not work at
all; I didn’t even sow or reap the crops. My work just consisted of serving the food to
my children and checking to see if the calves were being well-looked after. When the
evening meal was over, we used to sing and dance, especially when a marriage took
place. People would spend weeks and weeks drinking beer at our home. I had a happy
heart.
Now I spend the days alone. My only son who I stay with, teaches in a school
and only comes back home in the evening. The only child left of my daughter who was
killed, comes home late in the evening as well from school. I have to try and prepare
something to appease the hunger for my son and the young boy as they return from
school completely shattered.
I am unable to draw water from the well so I have to go and beg here and
there in the neighbourhood so that I can have some food to prepare. I find it difficult to
sleep. At night, I often wake up to see if the day is dawning. I’m sure my insomnia is
because of the terrible memories of the events. Another reason may be because I sleep
right next to the front door on mats, without a blanket and it gets cold. I can’t even
move the bed because there is not enough room. There isn’t even any room to put the
kitchen utensils and clothes. Before the genocide I had many bedrooms and beds with
mattresses.
I still suffer from malaria and bronchitis. I do not have any medicines to treat
myself with because my son’s wage is used to buy food and to pay for the child’s
school fees. Nobody helps us. The refugees who have just returned, such as the
militiamen, receive hoes, flour and oil at the office of the commune and they have other
members of their families to help them. We have lost our families and no-one concerns
themselves with us.
Despite the fact that they talk to us about reconciliation, I cannot be reconciled
to anyone because of all the suffering that we have endured. My children died during
the genocide and cannot come back so it is difficult and impossible for me to be
reconciled.
I have a large wound deep in my heart. When I go back to Bisesero (she lives
in the centre of commerce in Gishyita) to see peoples’ bones who have not been
buried, it immediately reminds me of my neighbours and my family with whom we
lived peacefully. I feel disturbed at once when I see them. When I see where my house
was as well, I feel like committing suicide. Yet my faith in God holds me back.
Although the clergymen and other so-called Christians plunged themselves into killing,
I cannot follow their example??. I know that God will punish them and that those who
died in the genocide are close to God. This is why I am still a Christian.
Interviewed in Gitovu (Gishyita), 19 May 1997.
PS The owner of the house she is living in, has not yet returned. If he does come
back, Catherine will be outside because she has no hope of finding her own house.
7.
Name: Siméon Karamaga
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Breeder
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
Age: 53 years old
The people who live in the Bisesero region are known by the name of Abasesero. We
were cattle breeders. There was not a single person who did not have a cow. There
were three well-known tribes: the Abanyiginya, Abakono and Abahima tribes. Each
tribe’s great grandfather was still alive.
I am from the Abanyiginya tribe and our great grandfather is called Sebikara.
He was the head of the tribe. Bijeri is the great grandfather and leader of the Abahima
tribe. Rukwirangabo is the great-grandfather and the leader of the Abakono tribe. The
three tribes formed a very close-knit community. Their children used to marry each
other from the other tribes and anyone who wanted a husband or wife did not need to
look further than the three tribes.
A sign and the river Ryimpundu separated the two Biseseros because there was
Bisesero of Gisovu and Bisesero of Gishyita. Despite the fact that we live in two
different communes, we are still close.
The genocide of the Tutsis began in 1959, when I was an adolescent. We made
sure that we were able to defend ourselves in order to protect ourselves and our cows.
Nobody could find a way of either stealing our cows or burning our houses. In 1962,
the Tutsi massacres began again but needless to say we managed to chase the enemy
away, even though they had guns. In 1973, the genocidal killers returned. They burned
two of the Abasesero houses. We were furious and we took our spears and bows. We
put the fires of the two houses out. The houses actually belonged to Seruhongore and
to Muyubi. The genocidal killers were afraid of us and they left us alone. The Tutsis
from other regions were killed and their houses were burnt down. The surviving Tutsis
left the country but all of us, except for a few families who went to Zaire, remained in
Bisesero. We later killed the thieves who had tried to steal our cows. People from
other regions who saw how we managed against the slightest resistance, believed that
we were very strong men who could not be defeated by anyone.
We remained in Bisesero and looked after our cows. Our weapons were clubs.
Umusesero’s characteristic is a club in one hand. Even a child cannot go out without a
club. Just as guns have different names, so do our clubs. We have clubs which are
called intobo, ingongo, ingabe, isanzu and umushabarara. The name of each club
corresponds to the name of the tree which it comes from. There is a market at
Nyarushishi in the commune of Gisovu, where we sell our good-quality clubs. We have
specialists who choose good clubs for battle.
At the beginning of the genocide in April 1994, many Tutsis came to Bisesero
from other regions because they thought that the area was safe. Everyone thought that
the military would be unable to attack the Bisesero area because we were warriors.
However, this was not so. The militia attacked us at the very beginning of the
genocide.
On 7 April 1994, the militiamen came to the office of the commune of Gishyita
and they proceeded to attack Bisesero of Gishyita. That morning we took our clubs,
machetes and spears and we went to try and drive back the attack that the militiamen
had launched on us. We succeeded in doing this only after having lost nine of our
people. This was because the militia had guns. Despite this advantage, they ran away in
retreat. After they had gone, we realised how serious things were becoming. We
decided that we should all stay on just one hill so we left with our children and our
goods, and most importantly our cows.
There were too many of us on this particular hill which was called Muyira.
Everyone could do as they wished. We decided to choose some people who would be
able to lead us especially when there was an militia attack. We wanted to choose
someone who was not afraid and who would be able to spur us on, someone who also
had experience when it came to battle. We therefore appointed Aminadabu Birara as
commander. He was a wise man and as old as I. He lay out a plan for us to follow so
that we would be able to repel the militia. Birara was amongst the Abasesero who had
taken part in the battle of 1959. Unfortunately, he was killed towards the end of the
genocide in Bisesero.
I was appointed his deputy and I was in charge of my own sections. The militia
were always dressed in white when they launched an attack. When we saw them
coming to attack us, I would go in front of everybody (the Tutsis) and ask them to lie
down. The militia would approach us, shooting as they advanced. When they saw that
we were all lying down, they would come up to us. I would ask the Abasesero to get
up and go amongst the militia. In this way they would not be able to throw grenades
nor could they shoot us with their guns because there was a risk that they would kill
their own people.
Our commander Birara, would stay behind everyone to keep an eye out on
those who were afraid. He would hit anyone who refused to advance. Women and
children were also obliged to bring stones and clubs. Our commander would try and
hide the Abasesero corpses during the fighting so that the others would not suddenly
become frightened.
Often we managed to repel the enemy quite far back. I liked to be in front of
the others. I would sometimes have to tell the Abasesero to retreat if I saw that we
were becoming scattered or that we might fall into the enemy zone.
Each time we fought a battle with the enemy, we would meet on the Muyira
hill to sum up the day’s events. There were some young people amongst us who were
there to help direct the others during the battles. The young people we chose to do this
were Augustin Nzigira, Birara’s son, who is now dead; Aron Gakoko, who is alive;
Efasto Habiyambere, who is also still alive and Habimana, now dead.
In the evenings we would therefore gather together and allocate new tasks to
one another. We needed a lot of strength to work, so we would slaughter the healthy
cows, drink la sauce chaude and then eat the meat. This gave us back our strength.
One group was in charge of the cooking whilst another group would watch out
for the enemy so that they could not creep up on us unawares. Other people were in
charge of burying our people who had been killed. We also constantly restocked our
supply of stones.
It rained all the time and we did not get a lot of sleep but we still managed to
remain positive because we saw how well we were defending ourselves against the
militia despite the fact that we had no guns. Instead we used our clubs. A militiamen
who received a blow from this died immediately.
We went back to our properties before the 13 May 1994, and we began to
farm. At night we would still meet on the same hill. We were hopeful that the militia
would not be able to kill us. We had managed to kill policemen and soldiers and we
took their guns although we did not know how to use them. The men who were in
charge of the militia were Obed Ruzindana, the bourgmestre of Gisovu and the
bourgmestre of Gishyita as well as many other militiamen. They would come in Obed’s
car and the cars of some of the shopkeepers.
On 13 May 1994, a large number of militiamen and soldiers from Gitarama,
Gisenyi and practically the whole country arrived in buses and trucks. They surrounded
us and shot at us persistently. Many women and children were killed that day especially
since many were unable to run. My wife, Marthe Nyirahategeka and my seven children
as well as my grandchildren were killed that day.
The militiamen were always dressed in white and they wore green plants on
their heads. They were like madmen. That day they managed to kill many of us. The
hills were covered in dead bodies. They returned the next day to comb through the
bodies. The militiamen also took away our cows and they gathered everything we had
grown from our fields.
A small number of us hid in a hole. It was difficult to organise ourselves and we
were hungry since we had had nothing at all to eat. Even so, in the evening we all met
on the hill to try and raise the young people’s spirits so that they could carry on
running and fighting. We had suffered a lot. At night we saw dogs and other animals
who came to devour the bodies. During the day crows would come with the militiamen
to come and eat the bodies as well.
No one took pity upon us. When the militia attacked us, they begged us not to
run so far. If they killed us easily they would be rewarded by Obed Ruzindana.
Every single day the militiamen came back to kill us in Bisesero. Fortunately
the French soldiers arrived at around the end of June 1994. They came in white cars. In
the hole, we had radios and we had heard that French soldiers had come to Rwanda,
more specifically that they had arrived in Cyangugu, Kibuye and Gikongoro.
When we saw their cars arriving, the Abasesero, including Anastase, Amoni
Nyakayiro and Bimenyimana (otherwise known as Kamenyi who was killed after the
genocide by infiltrators) went to stop them. We all emerged from our hiding place.
Eric, who could speak French, explained who we were. The French took photos of us.
The militia were there with them, carrying their weapons. The soldiers then left and
said that they would be returning. When the French had gone, the militia came back to
kill. They killed a lot of us that day because many people had come out of their hiding
places when they had seen the French soldiers.
Three days later, the French returned. They gathered us together on the hill.
We sang religious songs in glory of God “Nyemerera Ngendana Na We Myami...”,
which means “Lord, let me come to your side”. The people who were ill, were driven
to the hospital in Goma (Zaire) by the soldiers. A few weeks later, we were put in cars
and driven to the RPF zone in the commune of Kivumu (Kibuye). After this we went
to Kabgayi.
After the RPF took over the whole country, we returned to our hill in Bisesero.
For the first few days, we stayed at the office of the commune. We then built huts on
our hills and tried with great difficulty to start life over again. We had no materials so
were obliged to fetch them. On our way to fetch wood, we could see our own
children’s skulls. We have tried to accept that our life will be difficult without our
children or wives, but what hurts us deeply, is that the militiamen still want to kill us,
even now. We are unable to sleep. They attack us all the time. At the beginning of
February 1997 the militiamen killed some survivors. They had been with us during the
genocide, in the sector of Gitabura in the commune of Gisovu. They were hit over the
head by machetes, just like in April 1994. We lost all faith in life.
Before the mass influx of returning militiamen from Zaire and Tanzania, we felt
safe. Some of the militiamen’s families who had stayed behind on the hills, were given
money so that they could farm for the survivors. We were unable to do it ourselves
because we no longer had the strength and many of us are now disabled because of the
genocide. Many of the survivors also began to marry Hutu women.
When the militiamen came back, no one continued to farm for us. The families
were very happy to see their brothers coming back and looking so healthy. The
militiamen did not lose a thing during the genocide but they are the ones who receive
all the help. Everyone who has returned from Zaire or Tanzania, must go to the office
in the relevant sector to collect goods and materials such as plates, blankets, cups
etc...Some white people even came along to check that everyone had received the
necessary utensils. As for us, no one came to check on us.
Prior to the genocide, Abasesero was full of strong men. The few men who
remain today will die of sorrow. We cannot forsee the future of Bisesero. We are
beginning to rebuild houses but if the houses are finished, we will need wives to have
children with so that we can carry on the name of “Abasesero”. We need this so that
we will be able be protected.
When talking about reconciliation, we do not feel that we can be reconciled
with people who have killed members of our families and who persist in trying to kill
us. All we want to hear is the officials say that they have finished punishing the
genocidal criminals. We stay on our hill and we do not prevent anyone from living
their lives the way they want to. Someone has to tell us exactly what we have to do to
be reconciled. Do we have to offer beer to the militia to show that we are reconciled or
do we give our cows, which is a sign of friendship, to the genocidal killers? They are
the ones who cannot bear the fact that we are still alive. Ultimately we need justice. I
have put all my trust in God because I am still a Christian.
Interviewed in Musenyi (in the sector of Musenyi), 8 February 1997.
8.
Name: Jean Baptiste Kayihura
Cellule: Bugina
Sector: Gishyita
Commune: Gishyita
Age: 42 years old
Marital Status: Married and father of seven children
Profession: Veterinary nurse
I was arrested 18 November 1994 and transferred to Gitarama on 10 December 1994.
The killers from Gisenyi who had come to our region during the genocide, did
not stay at Mika’s home. Many people think that they stayed there at night because
they saw them, drinking beer at Mika’s shop and home, on their return from Bisesero.
There is no doubt that Mika’s shop and home was their meeting place. However, they
slept in the all-purpose room of the commune. They travelled in a bus and a Toyota.
They spent a whole week in Gishyita and everyday they carried out killings in Bisesero.
One day, the killers from Gisenyi took my cow for food. On 22 April at about
12:00 p.m., I was with my child who was taking the cows to the pastures. I was just
coming up to the primary school of Gishyita, when the bourgmestre drove up and
stopped next to me. He was in Rulinda’s green Toyota. He said ‘I’ve been told that
you are not helping the others at Bisesero and I have noticed myself.’ He then ordered
one of his policemen, Sylvestre Rwigimba, to shoot one of my three cows. He pointed
to the one he should shoot. He shot the brown one. It ran off in agony and fell just
next to the bourgmestre’s house. It was slaughtered in front of the district courts of the
commune and the meat was then distributed to the Gisenyi killers.
The militiamen from Cyangugu arrived before the Gisenyi militiamen. They
lived in Mugonero and collaborated closely with Obed Ruzindana who must have
invited them. The ones I saw passing through Gishyita towards Bisesero, were in
Obed’s two Toyotas, one of which was white and the other was a clear blue colour. I
was told that the leader of the Cyangugu killers was someone called Yusufu, although
I did not see him myself. I did, however, see them one day, at the councillor, Mika’s
home. They were drinking beer at a reception that the bourgmestre had organised. The
killers were either from Cyangugu, Gisenyi or were Obed’s men. The militiamen from
Cyangugu had the most firearms such as guns.
The money which the bourgmestre used to buy beer with for the militiamen,
came from the people and more specifically, those who were not participating in the
killings. I went to a meeting one day which the bourgmestre held. He explained that
the donations from the people who were presently not helping the others, would be
used to buy drinks (consommations) for the ‘first-aid workers’ from Gisenyi,
Cyangugu and elsewhere.
Interviewed in Gitarama, 17 March 1997.
9.
Justin Mudacumura - translated by Rakiya.
10.
Name: Pascal Mudenge
Cellule: Karama
Sector: Musenyi
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 30 years old
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
On the 8 April 1994, we heard a news bulletin on the radio which announced that
President Habyarimana was dead. We were then attacked by a group of locals who
were armed with massues,bayonets, spears and machetes. They came from Gishyita.
We thought that they were thieves who wanted to steal our cows, so we all gathered
together ready for a counterattack. We managed to get them to retreat. They went
back to the office of the commune in Gishyita to get some more manpower. When they
returned, they brought soldiers with them. They rounded us up and called a meeting
where they took all our weapons (machetes, spears and clubs) away from us and told
us that we were had been/going to be attacked by gang of thieves and that they had
come to protect us. Because we thought we would be attacked by thieves, our Hutu
neighbours and even people from the neighbouring sectors (de le nôtre comme
Bisesero?) became our allies.
However on Sunday, 10 April 1994, there was no attack.
On Monday, 11 April 1994, another attack took place. We all gathered on
Rurebero hill. A great battle took place. We were able to overpower the enemy, who
ultimately had to retreat right back to the office of the commune of Gishyita. When
they returned, they had soldiers with them who were armed with guns and grenades.
We went over to the mountain of Muyira in the Bisesero sector to try and get further
assistance from other Tutsis who had taken refuge there, in order to strengthen our
forces.
The next day, Charles Sikubwabo, the bourgmestre of the commune of
Gishyita, led a great massacre. We resisted this attack and the enemy retreated back to
the hill of Gitwa. We only had stones, which the women and children had collected,
clubs and very few machetes to use for the attack. We fought without respite. We had
no other choice but to fight. The bourgmestre went to ask the préfet of Kibuye for
further reinforcements. He told him that Bisesero, the area between Gisevu and
Gishyita, had been taken over by the Inyenzi and that they had put up their flag.
Three days later, Obède Ruzindana, the leader of the Interahamwe militia came
with three busloads and three Daihatsu vehicules of Interahamwe and ex-FAR soldiers.
They carried out their slaughter from the moment they arrived, until Saturday. On
Saturday they told the neighbouring locals that they were the only ones left, so now
they could leave. The number of victims of this massacre was enormous.
Afterwards, soldiers and locals from the communes of Gishyita, Gisovu, and
Gitesi attacked us. We realised that there were really very few people left from our
area so we decided to head towards the bush to find refuge. However, the hunt for us
continued and when they discovered our refuge, all we could do was to run to save
ourselves whilst they chased us.
One day, we decided to head for Gitarama. We had heard that this préfecture
had fallen into the hands of the RPF. When we arrived in Karongi, in the commune of
Gitesi, we ran into further attacks and were forced to return to Bisesero.
I can’t remember the exact date, but one day, Obède Ruzindana, the President
of the Interahamwe in Mugonero and the son of Murakaza, came one day and said to
us that he had come to see how many wounded people there were so that they could
be brought medicines. He also told us that he wanted to see how many Tutsi refugees
were there, in order to account for the right number of sheetings for us to rebuild our
houses.
He introduced himself as the delegate of the ministry of the interior and
development of the commune. He was with the councillor of the sector of Gishyita
who was called Mika. Mika asked us what our present situation was. We replied that it
was because of him that we were in this catastrophic situation because it was he who
had given out the orders to the killers. Mika replied that on that occasion, the problem
had been with a gang of thieves and that he had tried to defend us but we had refused.
Ruzindana told us that we would be receiving some supplies(subsides?) the
next day so we should all stay together. He went on to say that there had been a ceasefire and that there would be no more attacks. He was in Claude’s car. Claude had been
a shopkeeper in Mubuga and had been killed by Ruzindana. Ruzindana had also stolen
Rurinda’s car, who was also a shopkeeper in Mubuga. These two cars were used to
transport the Interahamwe militia.
The next day, Ruzindana returned with the Interahamwe militia and other
locals. We did not have enough strength to repel their attack. Those who were able to
avoid being killed were the ones who had sought refuge in the bush.
Despite the fact that we had lost a large number of people, we did not once
give up. In fact, quite the opposite because we defended ourselves until we had used
every ounze of strength that we had. However, there were too many heavily-armed
enemies. Nevertheless, we managed to kill one soldier and seven policemen and we
took their weapons and gave them to the French soldiers.
We fought in a very systematic way. Some would attack at the front whilst
others would appear behind the enemy and hit them over the head with a machete
without them knowing from where they came from. The commanders of the troop
were Birara, Kabanda, Etienne Nzigira, Habimana ...They all died as a result of the
genocide. Some of the fighters were old hands in battle such as Birara from Bisesero
who had taken part in the 1962 and 1973 defensive against the Hutus. We had heard
from our parents and relations that the people from Bisesero were people who really
knew how to defend themselves.
At about the end of June 1994, the French soldiers came to our aid. They put
us all together for our own protection. They fed us and gave us clothes. The wounded
were taken to hospital and others who were ill were looked after.
A month later, we were taken to the RPF zone. We had survived but we were
still unhappy. The death of the members of our families was preoccupying us and we
were suffering various illnesses. The food was insufficient as well.
After a while, we were able to return. We went to the office of the commune of
Gishyita. There, we received food once a month. Because we had insufficient help, we
had to live near properties to be able to farm our fields.
There is a humanitarian organisation which deals with rebuilding our houses
but until now I have not visited this place because I am afraid of being killed by
infiltrators who are particularly common nowadays. Also, my house is isolated from
the other survivors’ houses, so attacks would be easier.
I preferred to stay at the centre where a lot of other survivors of the genocide
were staying. I am all alone. My wife and I were married for only two months and now
she is dead because of the genocide. My mother is also dead, as well as her nine children.
There are so many other victims of the genocide, who are from my family.
I was hit on the head and shoulder with a massue and now I have difficulty in
carrying heavy objects on my head and I also have trouble carrying out tasks which
require a lot of strength.
The problem of insecurity is one which weighs us down more and more each
day. Before the massive influx of refugees, we felt safe. Now that they have returned, we
spend nights in our houses after having been attacked by infiltrators who hide in the
bushes and who are fed and even housed by their families. This would indicate that there
is some sort of solidarity that exists between the two. Our authorities tell us that we
should protect ourselves but we don’t have the means to do this. What we need are
soldiers who could go and find the infiltrators who are hiding in the forests and bushes.
If the genocidal criminals continue their plans and do not ask forgiveness from
the innocent Rwandese people, reconciliation is impossible.
Interviewed in Karama, 8 February 1997.
11.
Although some of them did not wish to give any details, the prisoners from the
commune of Gishyita who were arrested in Gitarama, all acknowledged and
confirmed the important role of the militiamen in Cyangugu who were led, according
to them, by a certain Yusufu.
Gérard Muhayimana, comes from the Rusebeya cellule, in the sector of Kilimbi (in
the commune of Rwamatamu). During the genocide, he was at the centre of Ngoma in
the commune of Gishyita. When he finished his studies at the Musical Academy of
Tanzania, he became a teacher of music at the school of ‘Sciences Infirmières’ in
Ngoma. He is married without children. He is 33 years old. The following is his
testimony.
On the 7 April 1994, four soldiers came to our centre. One was a lieutenant and the
other three were corporals. They arrived in a military truck. From that moment
onwards, they lived at the centre. They began to terrorise the Tutsis, who then fled to
the Mugonero hospital, which was not far from where I lived. Five other soldiers came
from Kibuye. They had been invited by the doctor Gérard Ntakirutimana. They were
positioned at the hospital where they maintained they were looking after the refugees.
On 16 April 1994, a massacre at the hospital took place. It was launched by the
militiamen from Mugonero and others including Gikeri. They all came from Gisenyi.
The killings began at 6:30 a.m. Although a great number of Tutsis died, a Hutu also
lost his life. His name was Abia Uzarama and he was from the sector of Ngoma.
About a week later, I saw three bus-loads of militiamen. It was at around 4:00
p.m. and they were coming from Bisesero and were going back to Mugonero. They
stopped at our centre. When I heard people saying that they were militiamen from
Cyangugu who were led by someone called Yusufu, I was curious to see such a wellknown man.
I wanted to know which of the men was Yusufu. My neighbour, Ngabonziza,
who was Rwamacumu’s son and whose sister, Mukarukaka, was married and lived in
Bugarama, pointed out the man whom he had known before in Bugarama. This man
was noirâtre although I don’t remember his physical features. He was standing near a
bus, and was surrounded by a lot of militiamen who were dressed in MRND uniform.
The militiamen were carrying daggers, guns and grenades. They were drinking in
Samuel’s (alias Nyiramagemwa) and Mugemana’s bar. Yusufu was not drinking.
For the next five days, they went backwards and forwards from Bisesero to
Mugonero. I do not know which day the large massacre took place. However, I do
think that Yusufu was still in this place around the 8 April 1994.
Interviewed in Gitarama prison, 17 March 1997.
12.
Immaculée Mukamuzima- translated by Trevor.
13.
Name: Alphonsine Mukandirima
Cellule: Jurwe
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 14 years old
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Single
I was living in Gishyita with my aunt when the war broke out in April 1994. We were
just next to the office of the commune. There was also a small centre of commerce
nearby. The day after President Habyarimana’s death, soldiers went into the shops and
threw all the goods on the floor. They told the shopkeepers that they should be in
mourning for president Habyarimana, instead of doing business. They hit them with
clubs and said that they were going to put them in prison. My aunt had a shop which
she had closed that day, so we stayed at home.
We were obliged to seek refuge at my other aunt’s house in Rwabirembo
because we were being threatened. When we got there, we heard shouting coming
from the office of the commune, although we had no idea what was going on. The
following day, we found out that there was a war going on between the Hutus and the
Tutsis. We fled to Bisesero to the cellule of Jurwe where many Tutsis were. At the
time the war had already broken out in Musenyi.
On Saturday 9 April 1994, the people from Kazirandimwe were attacked at
about 11:30 a.m. We heard people shouting for help. At home we gathered our cattle
together and hid our goods such as our clothes, hoes , kitchen utensils etc. It was then
that an armed attack was launched against us. We were forced to go towards Gititi.
Our men responded well to the attack and managed to force the attackers to retreat.
Another day a bloody massacre took place. We were attacked from all sides.
The attackers shot at us and those who could not run, such as the women, children and
elderly, were all killed. My mother died in this massacre. We others were able to
disperse and find refuge in the bush. In the evening we went back to Gititi. I ran with
my brothers. On this particular day, we came across my mother’s body. We buried her.
We were repeatedly being attacked so we decided to join the other Tutsi
refugees who were on the Muyira hill in Bisesero. A week passed without a single
attack. We thought that the war was over and so sometimes we would go home.
When the week was over, the military soldiers from the former army and the
interahamwe soldiers launched a terrible attack. We ran with the others towards Gitesi
and we gathered on the hill of Gitwa. The interahamwe soldiers surrounded the hill to
kill us. When the interahamwe had gone home, we went back to Muyira. In the
evenings, we went to fetch any remaining food that the interahamwe had left after they
had taken most the crops from our fields. We used our broken mugs for cooking and
grains of sorghum which were not yet ripe to make drinks. We ground them with
stones and made gruel.
I discovered that I had ganglion on my foot. I could no longer run. Since my
brothers had been killed, I had to hide in the bush all alone. I bandaged my leg and ran
behind the old people during the attacks.
We were also persecuted by the Batwa (the third Rwandese ethnic group) who
hunted us down in the bush with their dogs. They used machetes and spears which they
would throw in the bush to see if we were there.
At around the end of June, the French army came to save us. They gathered us
all together to ensure our safety and from that moment on, there were no more attacks.
The French soldiers then evacuated us to the RPF zone in Kivumu and then we carried
on towards Gitarama. Some people were fortunate in finding a means of travel but I
had to go from Kivumu to Gitarama on foot. Three days after I had arrived in
Gitarama, my cousin came to see me and he took me to Kigali where he lived. I was
happy in Kigali with him.
One day, I went to visit my uncle who had gone back home after having rebuilt
his house. He had remarried. When I got there, I realised that no-one was looking after
our property. I decided to stay there. My cousin accepted my decision and told me that
he would continue to help me. Today I live with my uncle and another cousin who is
also an orphan from the genocide. I also left Kigali to stay with my cousin so that he
would not be all alone.
I lived with my parents and brothers before the genocide. Every one in the
family was happy. I felt good when I chatted with my brothers and my parents gave me
everything I needed. Now I am alone and no-one cares about me. My uncle has
remarried a Hutu woman and she does not like me. When my uncle gives me
something, she is jealous and says that I do not work and therefore do not deserve to
receive anything from the family. She says this because there is work to do which I am
incapable of carrying out. I was hit on the shoulder with a stone so I cannot, for
example, lift or carry a heavy object on my head. Nothing happened to her during the
genocide because she is Hutu. She cannot understand our problems. She just says that
I am lazy and she can’t stand it. Despite my efforts to carry out tasks which I can do,
she is still dissatisfied.
Because of all this, I remember the life I used to lead before the genocide and I
feel great sorrow. I think about all the members of my family who are now dead. To
ease my distress, I usually find a place where I can be alone to cry.
Previous to the genocide, I gave up school to look after my mother who was
ill. After the genocide, I wanted to go back to school but my uncle refused to let me.
He said that I was becoming undisciplined now that I was no longer with my parents.
As a result I do not know how to laugh or write.
I am disabled and have become ill. I do not have any money to care for myself.
The other orphans find money because they are part of cooperatives. They are able to
benefit from various benefactors. The state of my health prevents me from taking part
so ultimately I am all alone.
Moreover, our safety is being jeopardized. There are infiltrators who attack us
at night and they are trying to kill us. We have to go and hide in the bush all night.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 12 February 1997
14.
Name: Aloys Murekezi
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 28 years old
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
We had no problems regarding security in our region and amongst our families before
the death of President Habyarimana. After 7 April 1994, we were no longer safe. It
began in the commune of Gishyita, which borders our commune. At the beginning we
saw smoke coming from the sectors of Mpembe, Ngoma and Musenyi. This was
because Tutsi houses had been set alight and were on fire. People were running and
shouting for help because they were being chased and killed. We thought that thieves
were on the attack but then we were told that it was the Hutus who were killing the
Tutsis after they had taken flight towards our own commune. They told us that the
Hutus had attacked them. The Hutus had been saying that the Inyenzi who were also
Tutsi, had killed Habyarimana which was why all the Tutsis were going to be killed.
They had seized Tutsi cows and burned down Tutsi houses. We welcomed the fleeing
Tutsis on 8 April 1994 and we shared everything we had. We were afraid of what had
happened in Gishyita and we went to seek refuge in Muyira, in the cellule of Bisesero
(which is in the Rwankuba sector). Together with the Tutsis from Gishyita who had
sought refuge in our region, we defended ourselves against the attacks from Gishyita.
We were trying to get them to retreat so that our own region would not be under
attack.
A few days later, we were subject to a terrible attack lead by the police, the
watchmen (surveillants) from the commune of Gisovu as well as other interahamwe
militiamen. We fought against them and we managed to take four guns away from
them. They withdrew and organised another, this time very violent, attack. It was
launched by the police, the communal watchmen (surveillants) and soldiers. There
was a lieutenant amongst the soldiers who came from Gisenyi. He had killed Gérard
Ruhanga, who was Rugombamishari’s son. He had also killed Gatsimbanyi. We were
so angry by this time that we pounced on our enemies and succeeded in killing the
lieutenant. We first kidnapped him and took away his gun. We checked his pockets and
found a piece of paper. There was a message which said that he had been assigned to
kill all the Tutsis from Gishyita, Gisovu and Rwamatamu and that in return he would
receive 145,000 Rwandese francs as a reward once he had completed this task. We
then killed two policemen from the commune of Gisovu one of whom was called
Sebahire and the other was called Rukazamyambi. We tore their weapons off them
(two guns). The other person we managed to kill was Nsabimana who was the driver
for an organisation, although I do not know his name. He was also in the attack and
we took his gun off him as well. He had just killed Martin Ntamakemwa, who was
Bugingo’s son.
After we had neutralised this attack, our attackers fled. It was calm for many
days after this. We thought that the war was over and we went home. However, the
opposite was in store for us. They had gone to get more militiamen as back-up from
other préfectures, namely Gisenyi, Ruhengeli, Gikongoro and Cyangugu.
As a result, we were attacked on 13 May 1994, by militiamen from Gisenyi,
and soldiers and other locals from Gishyita, Gisovu and Rwamatamu. We returned to
Muyira which is a very high hill in our area. From there we could see all around.
During the 1962 and 1973 massacres, our parents also fled to this hill and from there
they succeeded in defending themselves.
In the attack of 13 May 1994, there were two communal policemen called
Rwigimba and Ruhindura, who shot our people. We retreated when we realised that
they had guns. The next day, the bourgmestres from the communes of Gishyita and
Gisovu met together. The bourgmestre from Gishyita told Ndimbati from Gisovu that
they had taken too long in killing the Tutsis. After this meeting, Ndimbati came and
collected our weapons such as machetes and spears. We had been using these weapons
to defend ourselves. He asked us what we needed them for and we replied that we
used them to defend ourselves against attacks that the thieves from Gishyita launched
upon us. He calmed us down and told us that no thief would come into the commune.
He collected all our weapons and went off with them. A communal policeman, called
Ngirabahinyuza and an interahamwe militiaman called Kwitonda who was a farmer
from Nyabubare (in the Gikaranka sector) accompanied him.
When they got to Mutiti (an Adventist church), Ndimbati, the bourgmestre,
sent Ngirabahinyuza, a corporal from the commune of Gisovu, to ask us why we were
all gathered together. We replied that we were afraid of the war which was about to
break out. He told us that there was no such war and that we should go back to our
homes. He talked with Musominari who was a friend of his who later died in the
genocide. We did not comply with his wishes because we suspected that we had been
told many lies. He joined the bourgmestre in Mutiti. Shortly afterwards, he returned to
Nyakigugu with Nkengeyabahizi. He began to shoot us. He shot Munyurangabo’s
wife, who was carrying a child on her back and who consequently died too. He also
killed a child called Mazuru.
It was at this point that we realised how serious the war was. We used the
weapons that the refugees from Gishyita had and we managed to confront an attack
which was led by Ngirabahinyuza. There were not many attackers and we succeeded in
making them retreat by using our spears, stones and machetes. The following day,
Ndimbati came back with a group of attackers. They set themselves up at Sengabo’s
and shot at us. Someone called Butufiye, who was Kajongi’s son, died in this
massacre.
When we got to this hill, our attackers shot us and killed many people with
machetes. There were very many of them and we did not even try to repel this attack.
We fled towards the bush. Many people died in this massacre and our cows were also
stolen from us. I ran with the other survivors of this massacre towards the bush.
In the evening, we returned to the ruins of our houses. We cooked with bits of
broken crockery. The day after this massacre which was on the 13 May 1994, there
was another attack. We fled towards Gitesi, battling against the interahamwe attackers
who kept on stopping us. I was hit on the arm with a stone. We did not return to
Muyira because the whole hill was covered in corpses. Interahamwe vehicles followed
us all the way to Gitesi, near Karongi and they shot at us. They made us go back to
Bisesero. There were very few survivors from this massacre. All the women, children,
young girls and old people died as a result of this massacre. We carried on running like
this until the end of June 1994, when the French army came to our aid. The French
soldiers gathered us up and protected us. They gave us various provisions, such as
clothes, beans, biscuits etc.
Shortly afterwards, they evacuated us to Kivumu (Kibuye) in the RPF zone.
The RPF soldiers welcomed us and two weeks later they evacuated us towards
Gitarama in Kabgayi. We finally settled in Bugesera in Greater Kigali. There were a lot
of sick people in Bugesera and many died. We therefore decided that it would be better
to go back home. We went to a small commercial centre which was near where we had
previously lived. A month later, I had already rebuilt my house with the use of metal
sheets. I lived in this house alone. I had no wife or children. They were all victims of
the genocide.
Today we all have the same problem as regards safety. As soon as we returned,
the interahamwe militiamen who had taken refuge in the bushes and ditches, started to
attack us every night. Sometimes they succeeded in killing people. The situation
suddenly worsened with the massive influx of refugees.
On 30 April 1997 ??, the infiltrators attacked Martin Nkusi who ultimately
died as well as his brother. Similarly, the Nsabimana family was attacked and he and
his child were killed. On 5 February 1997, attackers armed with guns, machetes and
bayonets attacked the Kajuga family. They shouted for help and we ran to their aid.
We need soldiers to ensure our safety. The other problem that we have,
concerns how poor we are. All our goods were stolen. Our cattle was stolen and now
when we farm without any manure to make the soil fertile, we harvest very mediocre
crops.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 7 February 1997.
15.
Claver Mushimiyimana - translated by Trevor
16.
Name: Athanase Namuhoranye
Cellule: Ryaruhanga
Sector: Mubuga
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 37 years old
Marital Status: Married and father of three children
Previous Profession: Head of Management for the Ministry of Secondary Teaching
During the genocide, I arrived in the sector of Mubuga, which is in the same commune
as Bisesero. This was on 25 April 1994 and I had come from Kigali. Bisesero was the
only place left where the killings had to be carried out.(les tueries ne restaient donc
qu’à Bisesero??)
When I got there, I saw the Rutsiro killers at the centre of Mubuga. Some of
them were in a blue Daihatsu and others were on foot, carrying sharpened bamboo
sticks and various knives. The killers from Gisenyi were better armed than those from
Rutsiro or the local people, because they had firearms. During this time, Obed
Ruzindana often passed through the centre in one of the two vehicles that he had
taken. One was a greenish-coloured Toyota truck belonging to Zéphanie Ntakiyimana
(Hutu) and the other was a white Toyota truck which was Antoine Nzamurambaho’s.
He was a survivor of the genocide.
The militiamen from Cyangugu did not come to the centre of Mubuga. They
were apparently better trained as they were the only ones who were called the
interahamwe. You had to go to the battle field to be able to see them. I, myself, never
went there. Alternatively, one could find them at the centre of Gishyita or Mugonero,
were they came from. However, they did come to Cyangugu in two buses and stayed
the night in Gishyita. I know that Ruzindana, who had become the leading authority in
the region, went to ask the bourgmestre for money. This was for food for the
militiamen from Cyangugu. I then saw the bourgmestre, Charles, coming to the centre.
He not only made the shopkeepers give money but also anyone who was not taking
part in the killings. I later heard that the bourgmestre had managed to collect 150 000
francs. Obed Ruzindana would have also demanded the same contributions from the
commune of Gisovu. Anatole Singuranura is one of the shopkeepers from Mubuga
who had to give the bourgmestre money.
I’m not sure if the terrible massacre you speak of, took place on 13 May. But I
have no doubts that a large-scale massacre did take place during the month of May.
That day, the bourgmestre came to our centre in a blue Toyota which belonged to
Louis Rulinda (Tutsi). All the local people had gathered at the centre before taking
part in the large-scale attack. He told them to put grass on their ears or head and if not
to put matches in their hair to avoid any possible confusion between the enemy and the
ally on the battle field. After this attack, I remember that it was said that many Tutsis
had been killed. I think that the militiamen from Cyangugu were still in the area.
During the genocide, the bourgmestre often used Rulinda’s vehicle when his
was being used by the councillor of the sector of Gishyita, Mika Muhimana or
Mushimiyimana ( I cannot remember his name).
The prisoners who were at the battle field are ideal witnesses and they are in
this prison. But I can’t tell you their names because if I do, someone will find out that
it was me and the consequences would be disastrous. Even so, things were bad the
moment I set foot in this prison. The scar that you can see on my eyelids is where
prisoners from my region hit me. (He is crying).
Interviewed in Gitarama prison, 17 March 1997.
17. Name: Innocent Ndahimana
Cellule: Rwingabo
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Age: 20 years old
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Single
When the war began, I was living in Gitesi, in the Ruragwe sector. The interahamwe
militia from Rutsiro launched an attack on Gitesi. The Hutus and Tutsis formed a
unified front to resist these attacks. The next day, everyone realised that this was about
ethnicity. As a result, the Hutus distanced themselves from the Tutsis. Tutsi houses
were burned down and their cows were stolen. The following day, the Tutsis were
killed over two consecutive days.
I used to be a servant for a Hutu family. The head of this family wanted to kill
me but I managed to escape. I fled to Bisesero where my family were. The Tutsis there
had always resisted previous attacks launched upon them. Needless to say, my mother,
sister and her children were killed. The others from my family, my four brothers and
my father, went back home, believing that the war was over. Shortly afterwards, some
very bloody attacks took place.
On 13 May 1994, the interahamwe militia surrounded us in preparation for
another attack. We were unable to retaliate. We gathered together at Muyira. We
decided that our tactic would be to run and hide in the bush. I fled towards a bush in
the pond. That evening, I felt ill and I went back home. I hid in a tree. Three groups of
attackers passed right next to the tree without seeing me. It was only when the forth
group passed by, that they found me. They told me to get down but I refused. I was hit
on the head and shoulder with a stone so I got down and ran to the forest. They could
not find me. My father and brothers were already dead by this time.
I stayed in the forest until the French army arrived to help us. The army
protected us and took us to Kivumu and then to Kabgayi in Gitarama to the RPF
zones. We decided to leave Bisesero because some interahamwe militiamen were still
threatening to kill us.
In September 1994, I went back to Kibuye. We stayed at the office of the
commune of Gishyita where we received help. My older brother was able to restore his
house and the two of us stayed there. Soon afterwards, I rebuilt my own house and I
left my brother to live there. I live alone in this house. Before the genocide, I had a
large family.
At night, all alone in the house, I find it impossible to sleep. When I do
managed to get to sleep, I just dream about the members of my family who died during
the genocide. After such dreams I can’t get back to sleep. I need to get married but
unfortunately I can’t find a Tutsi wife to share my problems with. All the Tutsi women
died during the genocide. My cows and all my possessions were stolen and now as a
result I am poor. I have no way of buying any others.
Insecurity has been prevalent from the beginning of the war up until now. We
frequently have to spend nights outside our houses because infiltrators are attacking
Tutsi families. This is due to the fact that some people, who participated in the
genocide, have not been arrested. When we attempt to bring them to justice, we are
told that the prisons are full and can’t take any more prisoners. These are the people
who leave their homes at night and try and kill us in the forests so that we will not be a
witness against them. They know very well that we are the ones who will testify
against them.
We need soldiers near us to make sure that we are safe.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 12 February 1997.
18.
Name: Ndayisaba
Cellule: Nyarutovu
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Farmer/cattle breeder
Marital Status: Age: 33 years old
I was born in Bisesero. I grew up in a family of cattle breeders. During my youth, I
used to look after my father’s cows. I did not go to school so I do not know how to
read nor write.
It was common knowledge that the Tutsis from the Bisesero region were great
fighters and that it was impossible for any thief to steal our cows. In other areas the
cows belonging to Tutsis were stolen practically every night.
There was a great solidarity between us. If anyone from Bisesero was attacked,
everybody would help the victim and chase the attackers away immediately. Many
people were afraid of us, especially during the dry season when there was not enough
grass for our cows in our region. I would go with someone who I asked to accompany
me, to other préfectures like Gikongoro with my cows to look for a grazing area. I
would spend about one month in a place that I did not know, carrying a club and a
machete. I would put my cows in pastures. People would ask me where I came from. I
would tell them that I was from Bisesero. When they heard where I came from, they
would immediately keep their distance. So we would stay there peacefully until I
returned to Bisesero.
We were amazed when the militiamen attacked us, after Habyarimana’s death,
because we were people who were feared. The militiamen first attacked the sector of
Musenyi. We staged a counterattack. When we set off, we thought that they were
thieves who wanted to steal our cows. However, when we got to where the attackers
were, we realised that all they wanted to do was to kill us because they said that their
mission was to kill all the Tutsis. This occurred just a few day after the President’s
death. The militiamen had killed a few Tutsis that day with grenades and guns. Despite
the fact that they had brought all these arms, we still managed to chase them away with
stones, swords and clubs.
That evening, we decided to get together on one hill so as to reinforce our
attack. There were many of us defending on that hill, but needless to say, the
militiamen proceeded to launch their attacks daily. They threw grenades at us and we
chased them with stones and clubs, killing many militiamen in the process.
At the end of April 1994, two weeks passed without any attacks from the
militiamen. We thought that the genocide was therefore over. We began to farm our
fields. However, at night, we still assembled together in the same place.
During the month of May, the militiamen frequently attacked us. I will never
forget the attack of the 13 May 1994. A large number of militiamen and soldiers
arrived in many trucks and buses. They surrounded us and then began to throw
grenades at us. Then they made their advance. The soldiers shot bullets at us and the
militiamen finished the Tutsi people off with machetes. They killed practically all the
women and children that day. My family was also killed. They were:
• My mother, Everienne Nyirabukezi.
• My older brother: Francisco Ngendahimana and his wife and children.
• My younger sisters, Mukamuhirwa, who was a student, Uwankwera and
Mukagatare, a student.
• My younger brothers, Cyriaque Rugwizangoga, who was at school, and Sibomana,
a baby.
Not only did they kill all these people, but they also took our cows and food supplies.
They gathered all our crops which were in the fields.
That day, 13 May 1994, we found that we were unable to defend ourselves
against the attack. There were too many militiamen who were heavily armed. Everyone
had to look for a way to escape. I ran away from the militiamen who were behind me.
Unfortunately I ran up to where the bourgmestre, Charles Sikubmabo and Obed
Ruzindana were, together with other important militiamen, whose names I do not
know. They were shouting to the other militiamen to kill more people. They were
wearing white clothes. When they saw me running up, they told them to kill me. The
bourgmestre Sikubwabo was carrying a gun in his hand. He shot me in the right
shoulder. I carried on running although I was bleeding profusely. I hid in the bush.
During the day I would hide in the bush and at night, I would leave to go and
look for grass to help heal my wound. I remained where I was with no food to eat. All
I could see were corpses and wounded people. Luckily, the French soldiers arrived at
around the end of June 1994. They treated us and afterwards they took us to the
commune of Kivumu where the RPF soldiers had arrived. Next we were driven to
Kabgayi. Life was difficult there as well. There were many survivors in this place. All
we were given to eat was cornflower.
A man called Martin Buhigiro, from Bisesero, came to see us. He saw how
difficult life was and so he took us to Bugesera. When I and others got to this place, I
fell ill. I had malaria. I had not acclimatised myself to the warm climate in Bugesera. It
is very different to the climate in the Bisesero region and I was not able to find enough
medicines.
We stayed in the militiamen’s houses who gone to Zaire. We later heard that
the survivors from Bisesero, who had stayed in Kabgayi, had returned home. We did
the same and left Bugesera. When I got there, I regretted my decision to leave
Bugesera. All that was left of my father’s house was bushes. No-one else from my
family was there. The other survivors helped me rebuild a small house. I moved in to a
badly built house, all alone, without any materials. I had no plates, pans, chairs and
food. I spent all day in bed without eating and just drinking water. I was ashamed of
walking around because I had no clothes. The only ones I did have were torn and
unwashed because I did not have any soap. I also did not have any money to buy any. I
had to wash my clothes at night because I didn’t have any others to wear.
Another reason why I couldn’t farm was because of my right shoulder which
still is not healed. I did not have any cows to look after. I realised that I could die very
soon of loneliness and hunger.
My parents used to look after me before the genocide. When I went home my
mother immediately used to give me food to eat. I also had brothers, sisters and friends
and I always felt comfortable around them. When I was alone in the house, I used to
think about all the people who were killed barbarically. Their bodies were still exposed
on the hills and sometimes I would see the dogs scratching at someone’s bone. When I
saw this, I wondered why the State was not helping us to bury our people. All this
increased my distress. I decided to look for a Hutu wife to help me with all my
problems. I had to look for a Hutu wife because I couldn’t find a Tutsi woman. They
all died during the genocide.
I suffered even more after I had married this woman. Every time I see her, I
think about my fiancée who is dead. Just before the genocide, I had finished building
my own house in preparation for my marriage. My father had also given me many
cows as an inheritance. My fiancée loved me and I loved her. She came from the
‘Abanyiginya’ tribe as I did. I often used to go and see her. Her parents always warmly
welcomed me and I could see that I had found another family who treated me as their
child. Now with my present wife, I have lost all the will to live. Her family does not
approach me. My wife does not console me. She has now given birth to a girl but I am
afraid that she will turn out like her mother.
I have tried to be reconciled with the Hutus by marrying their daughter, but I
realise now that I have wasted my time. My wife’s family has done nothing to help me.
They do not want to tell me which militiamen attacked me although they were around
during the genocide.(elle=family or wife?) I am currently living in the bush since the
return of the militiamen who fled the country. They have started threatening me again.
When the militiamen came back, the NGO’s and the government helped them a lot by
giving them food supplies and all the necessary materials. They were also welcomed by
their families who stayed behind. We felt ridiculed by them, when we saw how well
they were received, despite the fact that they murdered people,. They want to kill us
because they are afraid that we will bring them to justice.
Even if we hide in the bush, the Hutu wives will tell their brothers where we
are hiding because in the morning, the women see us shivering from the cold. They can
guess exactly where we spent the night.
Before telling us to be reconciled with the militiamen, they should make sure
that we are safe. When they have killed us all, the militiamen will no longer have any
problems because there will be no-one left to accuse them of the genocide. The State
will then look after other things because it will not want to waste any more time
talking about reconciliation when all the dissatisfied people have been killed. Instead of
building houses which are apparently for us, they should first of all protect us.
Otherwise the houses will be taken over by the militiamen.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 8 February 1997.
19.
Name: Nassou Ngoga
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 43 years old
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
Since the 1990 war, the Tutsis, and in particular the intellectual Tutsis, have been mistreated by the Hutus. However, even though I am Tutsi, I did not experience any
problems because I was a farmer. Nevertheless, in April 1994, things changed. The
Hutus decided to exterminate all the Tutsis. It began in Gishyita. We heard that the
people from Gishyita were calling for help cris d’alarme and we saw smoke coming
from all the burned down houses.
At the beginning we thought that thieves were carrying out the attacks. When
we went to their aid, the Tutsis from Gishyita told us that the Hutus were killing the
Tutsis. When the Hutus heard that it was a problem about ethnicity, they withdrew.
We got together with the Tutsi refugees from Gishyita so that we could build up a
defence. We were armed with machetes, spears and clubs. We gathered in Bisesero.
There, the bourgmestre Ndimbati, from the commune of Gisovu came and took all our
weapons away from us, saying that these weapons were useless because he had forced
the thieves, who wanted to attack us, to retreat. He took our arms to the office of the
commune. When he was a few metres away from us, he shot somebody who had come
to seek refuge in Bisesero. When we saw this, we went to the Muyira hill and there we
were the object of two attacks. One of them was from Gishyita and the other from
Gisovu. We realised that there was no other way to escape the attacks except by
responding. We fought against them and managed to neutralise the enemy despite the
fact that the bourgmestre had taken our weapons.
Once our attackers realised that we had a strong defence, they went to get
back-up from elsewhere. On the 13 May 1994, a very bloody attack took place. There
were a great number of attackers this time who were also heavily armed. We were
unable to put up any defence. The remaining survivors after the attack, fled towards
the forest and to the bush.
During the days which followed, the interahamwe and locals tried to find us in
the forest to kill us. Sometimes, when there were only a few attackers, we defended
ourselves and managed to force them to retreat. This went on until the end of June
when the French soldiers came to our aid. They gathered us together in Bisesero where
they protected us and gave us food to eat. Those who were ill, were taken care of.
There were very few women and children there because they had all been
killed. They had not had the strength to escape the attacks. After a few days, we were
evacuated by the French soldiers to Gitarama in the RPF zone. This is what we chose
to do. The RPF soldiers welcomed us warmly.
I then left Gitarama to return to Gisovu. I stayed right next to the office of the
commune and four months later, I rebuilt my house which had been destroyed by the
interahamwe militiamen. I couldn’t find any sheetings so I used old metal sheets to
cover the house. Nevertheless the roof leaks when it rains.
I live alone in this house because my wife and children were all victims of the
massacres. I have an adopted child who is in the forth year at secondary school. All my
cows and goods were looted so I find it hard to pay the school fees and to buy the
necessary school materials that he needs.
When talking about reconciliation, I think it depends on the way in which those
who committed the genocide, behave. At the moment, it is inconceivable to reconcile
with people who killed our families, stole all our possessions, destroyed our houses
and then instead of asking our forgiveness just want to kill all the survivors of the
genocide, regardless of who they are.
Reconciliation would only be possible if the accused genocidal criminals were
all brought to justice. Then we could be reconciled with those who are left, and only
then, if they ask for forgiveness.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 12 February 1997.
20.
Uzziel Ngoga - translated by Trevor
21.
Name: Narcisse Nkusi
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
Age: 37 years old
I used to live in the cellulle of Munini, in the sector of Rwankuba. I had three children.
They were Evariste Hakizimana, 7 years old, Uwitonze, 4 years old and Uwimana who
was 2 years old. I also had a wife and we were extremely happy. However after the
president’s death, everything changed.
When I realised that the militiamen had already started to kill and to burn the
houses, I looked for a way out for my children and a way to remove some of my
belongings. I drove my sons to my neighbours’ homes. They were very close friends of
mine. I drove my son, Hakizimana, to Bernardin Birara’s home in the cellule of Minini.
He was also a very close friend of mine and we shared everything. He had also offered
me a cow.
Then I drove Uwitonze to Paul Munyandekwe’s home. He was a good friend of the
family’s too. My father had given him a plot of land so that he could build his house.
My wife, my youngest son and myself went to seek refuge in the mountains
with the others. When the fighting started during the month of April, we managed to
kill some of the militiamen, even when the soldiers came along with them. I remember
in April when we were attacked by the militiamen and soldiers. We were in Nkiliyaho’s
banana plantation. We had planned to fight the attack because we did not think that we
should die when we had done nothing wrong.
That day, I was carrrying a spear and machete. A soldier came up beside me. I
thought that he was going to shoot me so I immediately hit him with my machete. He
fell to the ground at once. The militiamen who were with him, began to hit me on the
head and on the right jaw with their machetes. My people came to my aid. They
finished off the soldier and chased the militiamen away. I fell unconscious and they
took me to the bush on the Muyira hill. My wife, Nathalie Mukasharangabo, and my
mother were still alive and they put healing plants on my wounds. From then on, I no
longer fought. Instead I stayed alone in the bush.
On 13 May 1994, I saw a lot of heavily-armed soldiers and militiamen arriving.
They killed all the women and children who were there, amongst whom were my own
wife and mother. The entire hill was strewn with unclothed corpses. When the
genocidal criminals had gone, I started to look amongst the bodies with the belief that I
would be able to recognise my family. However, it was impossible because of all the
blood covering the bodies. I stayed in the bush alone. There was nothing but corpses
surrounding me and there was a terrible odour. Dogs, crows and insects came to
devour the decomposing bodies.
I realised that I was going to die so I went to a Hutu friend’s house. His name
was Zéphanie Munyakayanza and he was from Muyira. He welcomed me into his home
and made me some food to eat. He heated up some water so that he could treat my
wounds. I realised that I could create a lot of problems for him because they were
already starting to search the Hutu houses. I chose to go back to the same bush and
stay there. The militiamen were combing [the bushes] constantly but God kept me
from their grasp. The French arrived and I was still alive. They gave us food to eat and
treated us. Afterwards we were driven to the RPF zone in Gitarama.
With the take-over of the country, we went back to the centre of Gakuta. We
stayed in bars and shops because all the houses had been destroyed. We were dying of
hunger because there were no fields near the centre.
We decided to go back to the fields with the other survivors. Someone had
given me some beef which I sold for 30,000 francs. I was able to buy some metal
sheets with this money and the survivors helped me to build a house in the plot of land
which had belonged to my paternal uncle (Ntagozera). I feel saddened by the bones on
the various hills that were gathered just five metres from my house.
Prior to the genocide, each time I left my house, I would see many cows on the
hills, and children playing on the hills too. Now all I see are bushes which shelter wild
animals and bones in practically every corner of the village.
My house is remote from other places. There is no-one with whom I can talk
to. I am also afraid that there are infiltrators in the neighbouring bush. As a result of all
this and equally because I would spend days and days without eating, I was forced to
marry a Hutu woman. All the Tutsi women in my area were killed on 13 May 1994.
My marriage with this woman has not made me happy. My surviving brothers
have disowned me as they say that I have betrayed them by marrying a Hutu woman.
My family-in-law do not consider me as one of them either. I am therefore alone in the
world. I am losing my head. I do not know what kind of punishment I am paying for at
the moment.
I do not know how to feel good about life because I can see that for the whole
of my future life I will be unhappy. My children could have been a comfort for me but
the ones I took to my so-called friends were all killed. They had extended families, and
I do not understand why they could not hide the younger children who were the same
age as their own children. They readily agreed to hide objects rather than people.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 19 May 1997.
22.
Valence Nsengiyumvu- possibly translated by Trevor.
23.
Caritas Nyirakanyana-translated by Rakiya
24.
Léoncie Nyiramugwera-on Yusufu disc
25.
Name: Stanislas Ruhamiliza
Cellule: Bisesero
Sector: Rwankuba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Marital Status: Married
Age: 58 years old
The Tutsi tribes who lived in the Bisesero region were all different from each other.
There were the Abanyiginya, Abakono, Abahima and the Abasita tribes and they lived
on the Maraba hill. The first three tribes were very united and we all intermarried.
However our grandparents forbade us to look for a husband or wife from the Abasita
tribe. I do not know why.
All the Abasesero were cattle breeders. In our region there was good breeding
ground. However there were too many of us. We also had so many cows that we did
not have enough pastures. I had a little plot of land that I was going to share with my
children who wanted to build up their homes. We had begun to plant tea in the same
place were I kept the cows.
I could see that I was not going to have enough land so I began to look for a
place where I could take my cows and children. A member of my family, called
Mutarambirwa, lived in Zaire. He came to see us and when he left I went with him.
This was in 1990. When I arrived in Zaire, I found that there were other Rwandese
people there. The area was good for cattle breeding as well. I liked the place a lot so I
went back to Bisesero to bring my family over. When I returned to Bisesero, I sold all
my cows in order to be able to have enough money to pay for land in Zaire. When I
had gathered all the money together, I said goodbye to the other members of my family
and I left together with my wife, three daughters and son.
I left three sons and one daughter behind in Bisesero. They were:
1. Kazungu (he died in Bisesero with his three children).
2. Charles Ntampuhwe (he died together with his three children).
3. Bugunzu (he was young and died)
4. Bonifride Mukabucyana (she died together with her two children).
When I arrived in Zaire, I bought some fields and built a house. Other Rwandese
people who lived in this area helped me do this.
After I had settled down a bit, the Zairean soldiers came and told me that I
would have to give them my cows in order to be able to have a citizenship card. I did
not have any cows to give them so they put me in prison. There were four other
Rwandese people there with me in prison. I stayed there for a month and I was very
unhappy.
When I was released from prison, I went and bought myself some cows and
goats with the money I had earned in Bisesero. I became richer and richer and I lived
in the Uvira area, in the South Kivu region (in the Bafurero collectivité). This was also
a region which was good for breeding.
The genocide began just as I was preparing to fetch my children who I had left
behind in Bisesero. I was afraid because I thought that my whole family was going to
be killed. After the genocide, I decided to resell all my cows and fields to king Ntare
who governed the area. I hurried back to Bisesero.
When I got there, I wondered whether this was really the Bisesero I had
known. It used to be full of cows and was the home of many Tutsis. All I could see
were skulls and the debris from the houses which had been destroyed. By chance I met
the Tutsi survivors. They all looked stunned and were very badly dressed. In short they
looked impoverished compared to how they had looked before. I felt as though I were
dreaming.
These poor survivors began to explain the tragedy which had taken place in
Rwanda. They told me about the death of my children and of the other members of my
family.
From that moment onwards, I stayed with the survivors. I later built myself a
small house. My wife and children who had been with me in Zaire came as well. It is
terrible living in Bisesero after the genocide. However, I cannot go back to Zaire as I
have sold everything.
Everything I saw around me made me feel anxious. Whenever I saw a skull I
began to cry because I imagined that it was perhaps the skull of one of my children.
The Hutu neighbours bluntly refused to tell me who did such a thing. The Tutsis from
Bisesero cannot sleep now because the militiamen are always trying to kill us. We are
not even survivors since they are trying to kill us. Instead of finding a way to protect
us, they talk about reconciliation.
How is it possible to be reconciled with someone whom you have not
offended? We have done nothing to harm the militiamen. They were the ones who
killed the Tutsis. Do you think we could run behind them??? What could we say to
these militiamen who do not want to listen to us? When they talk about reconciliation,
do they want us to forget our children and brothers, who were all killed during the
genocide.
How can I forget how much I worked for the survival of my children before the
genocide? I had to leave so that they would have a future but now they have killed
them and my children have not fulfilled my aims.
I bitterly regret having left my children. They were killed and we did not see
them again. But thank Heavens and I thank God that he helped me get my wife and
daughters out and bring them back safe and sound.
I have now seen the way in which the militiamen destroyed the houses I had
left in Bisesero and how they killed the Tutsis. Their bones are still exposed on the
hills. The State does nothing to help the survivors bury their people. I am in shock and
because of this, the idea of reconciliation disgusts me. In my opinion, reconciliation is
impossible.
Interviewed in Bisesero, 12 February 1997.
26.
Name: Alexandre Rwihimba
Cellule: Nyabumera
Sector: Muramba
Commune: Gisovu
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: None
Age: 34 years old
Marital Status: Married
I used to be a shopkeeper at the centre of commerce in Gatare (commune of Gisovu)
before the start of the genocide. I was someone who committed acts of fraud so I often
used to go to Bugarama and Kamembe to go and fetch goods. I often used to see
Yusufu in Bugarama. I also used to see him when he went to Gatare in Gisovu. He
used to go and see Rachel who was a relation of his. Rachel’s husband was Jonathan
Ruremesha. He was the private tutor in the commune of Gisovu. This man was a friend
of mine and we often drank a beer together.
When I went to Jonathan’s house, I would see Yusufu doing the tour of the
centre of Gatare where my shop was. So I know Yusufu very well.
A few days after the president’s death, we saw militiamen burning Tutsi houses
in the commune of Rwamatamu in the surrounding sectors.
We, the Tutsis, had brought with us our machetes and spears to be able to
protect ourselves. The Hutus lied to us and came to us saying that they were going to
help us. This was on the 11 April 1994. However, just a few minutes later,Tutsi houses
in Muramba (Gisovu) were being burned down by militiamen. The Hutus who had
been with us suddenly left, shouting. The whole commune lauched an attack on us.
They began to burn houses and kill the Tutsis. We were frightened and took flight and
ran to the forests. We were all dispersed around. I spent about a week alone in the
forest.
In the middle of the night one night, I went to Thomas Sibomana’s home. He
was a Hutu and a great friend of mine. I was carrying a machete because I thought he
might kill me. When I got there I knocked on his door. Thomas came out. He was
carrying his wife’s loincloth. He greeted me and invited me in. He gave me food and
milk to drink. He told me that the miliciamen had looted our house and that many of
my family were dead. He also said that the Tutsis who managed to escape had gone to
Bisesero. He said that during the night he took food to the people there.
When I had finished eating, I too went to Bisesero. I made my way through the
forests and had difficulty in not falling because it was night time. When I arrived there,
I stayed amongst with the people from Gisovu. We fought against the attacks against
our commune.
Every day, the bourgmestre came with his policemen and numerous militiamen
who had grenades. Despite the fact that they were heavily armed, we fought them well
and even managed to take away their guns. The militiamen would always go home at
4:00 p.m.
At around 8:00 p.m., we would return to Gisovu to look for food in the fields.
I used to go to Thomas Sibomana’s house to ask him for food and I used to give him
money to buy soya from the market, beans and salt etc. Then I would come back to
collect the items of food. Sibomana was really a very good friend of mine. He told me
which people had stolen my goods.
Towards the end of April 1994, I went to his house and talked a lot with him.
He had taken part in the meetings held by the authorities and he also listened to the
news on the radio. Looking for something to raise my spirits, I asked him whether he
had heard if peace was on the horizon. Sibomana looked very sad and said ‘Don’t even
think about peace. Aloys Ndimbati, the bourgmestre of the commune of Gisovu, has
given his car from the office of the commune, to Jonathan Ruremesha so that he can
go and call his brother-in-law, Yusufu, in Cyangugu. The object is to bring Yusufu and
his militiamen to Kibuye to help exterminate the Tutsis from Bisesero who have a very
strong defence. So now you see that you are going to be killed’. In fact, Faustin
Mugenga who was a teacher at Gisovu, confirmed this after the genocide. He said ‘If
the bourgmestre had not told Ruremesha to go and call Yusufu and his militiamen from
Cyangugu, not many of you would have been killed because you were very strong and
the militiamen from Kibuye were worn out.’
When Sibomana had told me that, I was afraid. I went back to Bisesero. For a
few days we were not the object of any attacks. Previously, we had been attacked
every day. After this, at the beginning of May 1994, we saw many cars and a lot of
militiamen and soldiers. They encircled us and began to shoot at us. The Tutsis who
were at Muyira were killed outright. We were near this hill and we tried to get the
militiamen from Gisovu to retreat. Some militiamen and soldiers threw grenades at us,
others used their machetes. The massacre went on for six hours. It was impossible to
to fight them and each person was looking for a way to escape. Fortunately I managed
to find a bush and I hid there.
In the evening, all the survivors of this massacre gathered together and we
went round to look at all the bodies that were lying around. We began to put them in a
large pit which was already there. This pit had been dug to make brick for the
construction of a primary school in Bisesero.
We wept as we collected the corpses. There were more than two hundred
bodies. Some of them were women who had died with their children on their backs.
With some we only saw their head or legs. Some of the dead no longer had any eyes.
As we were suffering as we put the bodies into the pit, the Hutus were drinking,
singing and eating our provisions which they had stolen from our houses.
When we had fininshed putting all the bodies into the grave, we put earth over
the top. We realised that we would not survive if we stayed in Bisesero, so I and a few
others decided to leave for Burundi. We went to the fields to look for provisions and
we found maniocs and bananas. I took my spear and a young boy who I was with took
a gun that we had taken from a militiaman. The gun only had five bullets in it. Twentynine of us in all left, each holding a machete or a spear. Some girls and children
accompanied us too. I was also with my younger brother who had just finished le
grand seminaire?
Six days later they find that they are back where they started so they decide to
return to Bisesero.
We decided to go back to Bisesero. We were still in the month of May 1994. All our
clothes were torn and we looked half dead.
Many people had now died in Bisesero. We could see bodies everywhere. All the
survivors gathered together on just one hill. At night I went back to Gisovu to fetch
some food. One time I lay down in the bush just behind a military roadblock so that I
could follow their conversation. They were saying ‘Yusufu’s militia have killed a lot of
people in Bisesero’. Others added ‘they also ate a lot of meat in Mugonero. Any Hutu
from Kibuye who finds a cow must give it to Yusufu’s militiamen as a reward.’ I went
back to Bisesero so that the militiamen would not find me.
There was another day, which was a Wednesday morning at the end of May,
when an attack was launched by Obed Ruzindana (I knew him because he frequently
came to Gisovu), Dan Ngerageze and about five hundred militiamen. We were not
afraid in the face of this attack because there were very few of them in relation to other
attacks.
My older brother Ignace Kayinamura went to hide with his three children in the
bush. The bush was near the road. When the militiamen attacked, they searched
through the bush. They discovered my older brother and took him and his three
children to Obed and Dan. I could see them because I was near to them.
A Tutsi called Assiel Kabanda fled near to where Obed was. He heard Obed
telling his militiamen not to kill Ignace but to drive him to the Mugonero market to
torture him. Dan said that it would be better to kill him straight away so he was killed
together with his children. When the killers had left, Assiel buried their bodies. He told
me about this before his own death. I stayed in Bisesero until the French soldiers
arrived.
27.
Name: Maurice Sakufe
Cellule: Gitwa
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Profession: Driver
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide, now remarried
Age: 37 years old
....
That evening, we all withdrew to the higher mountains of Bisesero, no one from the
local authority, civil or military was prepared to help us,. We were attacked daily by
military soldiers from all sides. We stayed on the hill which was called ‘Muyira’ where
there were many of us. We had to battle against the cold and the attacks on a daily
basis.
Around the end of April 1994, I began to see Obed Ruzindana. He used to
come in a white van full of genocidal military soldiers who were armed with guns.
Obed had one too. Each time they attacked they would surround us and we would
have to find a way to escape by breaking out of their circle. Each time we passed next
to Obed, he would fire at us.
During this period, we fought against an ex-FAR lieutenant. We were
surrounded in the usual way and we tried to get out of the circle. This took place in
Bibande in a banana plantation which belonged to a Hutu called Nkiriyaho. The battle
lasted a long time. There was a lieutenant soldier with a pistol who was shooting a lot.
One of our people called Ntagozera, hit him on the head with a hoe. The soldier lost
consciousness and immediately lost control of his bladder. His pistol fell to the ground.
We thought he was dead. However, this was not the case as he managed to kick Jean
Rutabana (Tutsi). We immediately finished him off with machetes. Nzigira, our
colleague, was dealing with the other four accomplices and we eventually killed them.
We found the lieutenant’s identity card. He was from Gisenyi in the commune of
Gaseke.
There were bee hives in this banana plantation. The owner was a beekeeper.
We used the hives to chase away the attackers by tipping them over so that the bees
would sting them.
Afterwards, we had two weeks of respite. We began to bury the bodies. We
also started to go back to our activities as survivors, like working on the fields. We
thought that the genocide was over.
However there was another terrible attack on 13 May 1994. More than eight
buses arrived, along with lorries and vans full of military soldiers, and other soldiers in
uniform. They parked in places known by the name of Ku Nama and Ku Kamina. The
whole of the Hutu population had come to kill us.
They overwhelmed us by showering us with bullets and grenades etc.We could
no longer put up a fight. We didn’t even see who was attacking us. That day,
practically all the women and children were killed. My mother Mukabaziga was unable
to escape.
We could see that the attackers had some weaknesses. We tried to search for a
way to get away. We managed to escape by hiding in the bush. There, the bodies were
piled up. All the hills were covered in bodies.
That evening, when the criminals had gone, we tried to bury our people,
especially the older ones. As we were carrying this out, we came across the bodies of
our attackers. We took out their identity cards. One of them was evidently from
Bugarama (Cyangugu). I remember how we cried out ‘Even militiamen from
Cyangugu came to kill us’.
The next day the same persecutors came to attack us. They said that it was
better to hit the head around the ear to damage to cerebellum. We scattered around to
find a place to hide. That night Birara tried to reorganise us so that we would be able
to continue our resistance until the end.
At night we looked for water to drink and went through the fields to look for
potatoes or bananas. However, the wives of the militiamen, who came with their
husbands at the time of the attacks, had already gathered all the food. The role of these
women was to gather crops from the fields and to take off the clothes from the dead
bodies.
Around the 20 May 1994, militiamen in Toyota vans launched an attack on us.
We were exhausted by this time and we had no energy left to run. The people who
were caught were hit with machetes by the militiamen. We decided to run over to
where the leaders of the militiamen were want to stay (Ku Nama) so that we would be
shot rather than be killed by a machete.
That day all of us ran towards Ku Nama. The militiamen increased their fire
because they realised that we wanted to attack their leaders. About eighty people died
instantly. I ran with my machete in my hand until I got to Ku Nama. I saw Yusufu in
the shooting position. He was wearing a hat that muslims wear and a ‘Boubou’. He
was standing in front of a yellow truck and beside him were other militiamen including
Obed and Mika. Yusufu was carrying a gun.
Just at that point, I heard Birara’s voice telling us to retreat. He saw that many
of us were being killed. I retreated and hid in the bush. I was very fortunate not to die
that day because I had been surrounded by bullets.
Another attack that I can’t forget was the one which took place in the middle
of June 1994. I could hardly walk at the time and I had been hit. It was around the end
of May 1994 that I was wounded. The mililtiamen had ran after four of us (Tutsis),
two of whom died. However after having killed one of the militiamen I was hit with a
stone on my foot. This is why I could hardly walk. That day in June, the militiamen
searched through practically all the bushes. At the time, my wife and children were still
alive. They were hiding a short distance from where I was. A militiaman called
Sebikoba from our commune discovered my wife. She was carrying our child on her
back.
The militiaman hit my wife with a machete and then he put a wide bamboo
stick into her vagina. He pushed it in so far that it went right to her stomach. The child
that she was carrying on her back fell to the ground. The child wandered off saying ‘
mummy, daddy’. He had not yet learned to speak properly. The militiamen saw the
child and killed him, saying ‘We mustn’t let a child of Sakufi’s live’.
That evening, when the militiamen had gone home, I went to see my wife’s and
child’s bodies. When I arrived at the place where she lay, I found myself trembling. She
was still breathing. I removed the bamboo stick from her body. When I had taken it
out, my wife’s neck cracked and she died instantly.
I went to fetch a hoe and I buried her there and then. I didn’t have anything to
remind me of her. She didn’t have any clothes left and I had no photos of her.
Fortunately, I saw the traditional sling my wife used to use for carrying our child on
her back. It was next to their bodies. I picked up the sling and I still have it now.
In June 1994, I saw Yusufu. He had a cap and was wearing trousers and a
shirt. He was with Doctor Gérard Ntakirutimana. I knew the doctor because his father
was a friend of ours and he had given my father a cow. The doctor was looking after
the wounded militiamen. Yusufu had a gun at the time. This was in Kamina and I saw
them as I was going to hide in a bush.
We remained where we were, suffering. Our two main people (Nzigira and
Birara) had been killed. They were the ones who had organised us.
Now I live in Gikondo in the commune of Kicukiro. I have remarried and I rent a
house. I often go back to Bisesero to visit the other survivors and to see the things I
lost during the genocide. Although I am still alive, I cannot sleep. When I remember
how the people were killed at Bisesero, I lose consciousness.
When I left Kigali in 1986, I went to Bisesero. I had some money so I began
breeding modern cows. I bought 35 cows off someone called Dalio Kasiku Wa Ngeyo
in Zaire. I could get 21 litres of milk from each cow a day. I then distributed the milk
around Mugonero and Mubuga etc. Practically everyone from our commune came to
buy milk from me. I was happy and I built a beautiful house in my farm.
Now I even drink the milk which is for my child. (This child is from his second
marriage). Before the genocide, milk was in abundance.
When I go back to Bisesero, I have nowhere to stay. There is no-one to help
me repair my house.
It shocks me to see all the bones lying on the hills when I return to Bisesero.
Why doesn’t the State help us bury them? We can’t do it. Instead of helping us they
just talk about reconciliation. I wonder if the people who talk about reconciliation
really know what the word means.
One reconciles with someone who comes to ask forgiveness. How is it possible
to reconcile with someone who wants to carry on with the genocide. Last Friday, 21
March 1997, four militiamen hit a survivor from the Gitabura sector (Bisesero) with
machetes. Now the survivor is in hospital in Ngoma. How can a survivor reconcile
with a militiaman after something like that?
Interviewed in Nyarugenge, 28 March 1997.
28.
Name: Michel Serumondo
Cellule: Karama
Sector: Musenyi
Commune: Gishyita
Profession: Farmer
Marital Status: Married
Age: 50 years old
The Hutus had been killing the Tutsis ever since 1959. However, the Bisesero region
was renowned because we had always chased away the Hutus who dared to attack us.
The Tutsis from the other regions left the country but we stayed in Bisesero. There
were too many of us there and we also had a lot of cows with us.
There was a great solidarity between us and if anyone ever had a problem, we
would immediately help them. What I liked most was to be surrounded by a lot of
people. This was the reason why I married two women. My first wife was Rachel
Nyirampeta and she had seven children. My second wife is Agnès Mukamuligo and she
had six children.
I was happy in Bisesero. I had children, wives, brothers and sisters. I also had a
lot of friends, including some Hutus who lived in Bisesero and who were very good
friends of mine. For example, I was a good friend of Rwigimba, who was in charge of
our cellule and who was a policeman in the commune of Gishyita. His father, Jean
Mbonyubwabo, was also a friend. Before the genocide, I gave Rwigimba a cow. To
show somebody how much you like them, you give them a cow. They day of my
offering there was a great ceremony. He invited his friends to partake in the ceremony
for the cow. He also went to fetch some beers. In the evening, when we went home,
we carried on celebrating. The same festivities took place when I gave a cow to
Muhirwa, who was the councillor of the sector.
Muhirwa and Rwigimba, were my two great friends. Their children used to
visit my children and we were really close. When President Habyarimana died,
everything changed. A few days after his death, heavily-armed people launched an
attack on us. We organised our defence in the customary way. We managed to fight
against the people with our spears and stones. Despite the fact that we fought against
them, we were still frightened because we had heard that the militiamen had already
killed the intellectual Tutsis, including Mulindahabi and Nkundiye, who were both
agronomists. They had also burned someone called Léonard Nshunguyinka, who was
an old Tutsi man from Gishyita.
We were panicking a lot so we decided to leave our houses and gather on one
hill. We went with our cows and weapons which were clubs, machetes and spears. Noone could approach us if we had our machetes and clubs. However the bourgmestre,
Charles Sikubwabo decided to collect all our weapons. He arrived on Sunday, 10 April
1994, with policemen, a few militiamen and the councillor of Musenyi, whose name
was Ezéchiel Muhirwa. We all assembled in the same place. The bourgmestre fooled
us by saying that thieves were trying to steal from us. He told us that as a person of
authority he was going to stop the thieves attacking us. He told us to return to our
properties. Once he had told us all this, he asked us to give up our machetes, spears
and swords etc.
A few of us gave our weapons up. I handed over the spear and machete that I
was carrying. Rwigimba collected them up. Two militiamen, one of whom was a
neighbour called Assiel Neretse, took them away in the bourgmestre’s car. After this,
they left. When they had gone, the militiamen began to attack us again. They looted
houses and tried to steal our cows.
The evening of 10 April 1994, I went to Rwigimba’s house to ask him why
they wanted to kill us. I also wanted to ask him to hide my six children because he was
a friend of mine. My wife, Rachel Nyirampeta preferred to go to her parents house in
Ngoma, Gishyita and she left with her seven children. They all died with her during the
genocide.
When I got there, he told me that it was the thieves who were trying to
sabotage the Tutsis. I asked him to hide my children but he replied, laughing, that he
could not hide any child but that he could, however, hide my cows and valuable
objects. I felt angry when he told me that he could hide objects instead of my children.
He could see very well that I was hungry but he gave me nothing to eat nor drink.
Before the genocide, when I went to his house, he would welcome me with open
arms, and even if he had no beer, he would go out and buy some straight away.
I was disappointed that evening. I left the house and went to hide in the bush
near to where I lived. I could see Rwigimba’s children stealing things like chairs and
clothes from my house. When I saw this I was frightened. I realised that our first
friends had become our first enemies. I was afraid to stay alone in the bush so I went
to the hill with the others. All the Tutsis had come to that same hill.
The militiamen came everyday to kill us. We managed to make them retreat by
throwing stones at them, even though they had guns and grenades. During the whole
of the month of April 1994, the militiamen only killed a few people. We had also
succeeded in killing some policemen and soldiers. This was the reason why they went
to get back-up from other militiamen so that they would be able to kill us.
On 25 April 1994, militiamen arrived in cars. They were dressed in white. They
shot at us and we ran away. They hit the children and women who could not run with
their machetes. I was running with a group and behind a militiaman was chasing us. He
threw a grenade at us. Five people died outright. Their limbs, such as their legs, arms
and head, came off their bodies. The shrapnel from the grenade explosion hit my right
leg and I fell down immediately. The militiamen who were coming up behind us, took
no notice of me, thinking that I was dead, because I was covered in blood. From where
I was lying, I could hear militiamen complaining and asking why Obed Ruzindana was
so late in giving the order to go back to receive the reward that he had promised for
them. They were congratulating themselves for having killed so many Tutsis.
In the evening, when the militiamen had gone home, the Tutsis started to bury
the bodies. My wife came to see me and she tried to heal my wounds with cow’s
butter. I could not run so I stayed in the bush. I could see everything from there.
During the month of May, the attacks from militiamen and soldiers were
frequent, so much so that we had to stop burying the bodies because it was becoming
impossible. In the same month during the attacks, my children stayed next to me in the
bush. However, they took fright and ran off and left me. I saw Rwigimba, the
policeman, shooting at them. He killed my children. They were:
• Gatwa, 12 years old
• Nzabahimana, 7 years old
• Nyirabasinga, 4 years old
• Nahayo, 2 years old
He knew who my children were because he had often seen them when he had visited
me. My children would also go and see his children at his house. But he had refused to
hide them for me.
After he had killed my children, I regretted the fact that I had given him a cow
and I wondered why he had ever been a friend. Distressed, I stayed in the bush. I could
see the bodies around me. My wounds were not being treated and I had not eaten for a
while. It rained and I had no change of clothes. Sometimes I wondered if I was still a
person.
Fortunately, I was still alive when the French soldiers arrived. They looked
after us and the survivors who were seriously ill, were driven to Goma, in Zaire. A few
days later, we were also driven to the commune of Kivumu in the RPF zone.
Afterwards we went to Kabgayi. When the RPF soldiers got to our commune, we left
Kabgayi and went back to Gishyita. I was lucky because my wife, Agnès, was still
alive, but all our children were dead.
Shortly after the genocide, we went to a camp together with other survivors.
Life was very difficult in the camp. There was no food and it was very dirty. We
decided to go back to our fields to try and start life over again. I planted trees in the
ground and I put a tent above. We inhabited this hut straight away. We had nothing
except a small pan and a blanket. We used the pan to cook with as well as for drawing
water from the well. It was used for various other things as well. Prior to the genocide,
I had had everything that I needed; bowls, pans, plates, forks, etc. My wife is old. She
was hit with clubs during the genocide so now she is disabled. Nevertheless, she is the
one who draws the water from the well, who fetches the wood from the forests and
who completes various household tasks. I have to farm and look after the cows I found
after the genocide. It used to be my children who looked after the cows during the
genocide. Now I have to run behind the cows. This causes me a lot of pain since my
right leg isn’t totally healed.
Prior to the genocide, I was a happy man, with my two wives and thirteen
children. My two sons were planning to get married. When we come home and don’t
see the children next to us, we cry. We have both lost our appetites. A dead body was
something which was greatly respected before the genocide. When they were buried,
people came to say goodbye for the last time. Afterwards, the neighbours and friends
came to visit the bereaved family. Now we see the skulls of Tutsis everywhere we go.
We do not have the means to pick them all up and bury them. What I find shocking, is
that the militiamen crush any bones that are in their way, which shows how little they
respect the person. These are the militiamen who have not yet been arrested.
With the massive influx of returning militiamen from Zaire and Tanzania, we
could no longer stay in our houses at night. The militiamen have come back unfulfilled.
When they see us in the road, they refuse to greet us and just grind their teeth. When
we heard of the killings of survivors, we decided to spend the whole night in the bush.
At night we would put the women survivors in the one house and then the men would
hide in the bush, watching over the house where the women were. We shivered from
the cold and the falling rain when we were in the bush.
I wonder when exactly the genocide of the Tutsis will end. It is impossible that
we be reconciled with people who still want to kill us.
Interviewed in Musenyi, 8 February 1997
NB He is still a Christian
He will find all the necessary equipement when he sells his cow. ????
29.
Anathalie Usabyimbabazi-translated by Trevor.
