Survivors of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Kayonza District say the speed of the killings, where about 40,000 Tutsi were murdered within just nine days was driven by coordination, geography, and deliberate deception.
They say the violence was not spontaneous. Local leaders worked with militias to plan and execute attacks across multiple sectors simultaneously, leaving victims with little or no chance to escape.
Didas Ndindabahizi, chairman of Ibuka in Kayonza District, said the genocide spread rapidly due to coordinated leadership and shared intent among perpetrators.
"The reasons the killings in Kayonza were carried out in such a short time include the shared cruelty among leaders such as Jean Baptiste Gatete, who played a role in killing many Tutsi in Karubamba, Mukarange, and Kabarondo, along with his associates including Jean Mpambara, Senkware, Octavien Ngenzi, and Tito Baraharira,” he said.
He added that Kayonza’s location turned it into a convergence point for killers moving across the Eastern Province. Militias and soldiers fleeing advancing RPF Inkotanyi forces gathered in the district, intensifying the violence.
"Kayonza also experienced rapid genocide because Interahamwe fleeing the RPF Inkotanyi converged here. It was a route used by FAR soldiers, Interahamwe, and Burundians. The so-called ‘security belt across the park’ also led to the killing of many Tutsi in areas near Akagera National Park,” he explained.
Winfrida Masengesho, who was 15 at the time, fled to Mukarange on April 10 with her family after their home was attacked. She recalls how local authorities arrived the next day, pretending to offer security, only for grenades to be thrown into the crowd hours later.
She said April 12 remains unforgettable:
"On the morning of April 12, a date we will never forget, I sometimes say I might forget my birth date, not because I don’t know it, but because birthdays can pass like any other day. But April 12 can never pass me by. I cannot forget it—for a reason.”
By that morning, the killings had intensified. Attackers used grenades and guns, called out names, and hunted down those still alive.
At Mukarange Parish, Father Bosco Munyaneza refused to abandon those who had sought refuge. He confronted the attackers, urging them to stop.
"You were my Christians, you were my flock. Have you really turned against your fellow Rwandans? Why are you killing them? What have they done to you? What has changed your hearts so suddenly?”
Attackers offered him a chance to leave, but he refused.
"They told him, ‘You, Father, you are one of us. We will not harm you. Step aside and leave those people—we do not need your blood.’ He replied that it was impossible because they were his people. ‘If you cannot show me mercy as you claim, then spare them for my sake. As you have mercy on me, have mercy on my flock—I will die with them.’”
He was shot dead.
Survivors say killings continued unchecked across the district. Many victims were killed in groups, while others were hunted down in fields, homes, and near marshlands, accelerating the death toll.
Records show that about 40,000 Tutsi were killed in Kayonza. Today, more than 30,000 victims are buried in memorial sites, including over 10,000 at Mukarange, while around 10,000 remain missing.
During the 32nd commemoration, Minister of Local Government Dominic Habimana warned that the ideology behind the genocide persists.
"I would like to once again thank genocide survivors for the great gift of forgiveness. Those who betrayed Rwanda are not at rest, they continue to spread genocide ideology through social media. Fighting it is an ongoing effort, and we will not stop confronting it.”
He reaffirmed the government’s commitment to support survivors and urged anyone with information about missing victims to come forward.