April 11, 1994: Left to die at ETO Kicukiro
Tuesday, April 11, 2023

On this day, the Belgian contingent withdrew from Ecole Technique Officielle (ETO) Kicukiro, abandoning over 10,000 refugees who had sought refuge at the college.

ETO Kicukiro was managed by the Salesians of Don Bosco (SDB). Since 1963, the Tutsi had taken refuge there and were well received and assisted.

ALSO READ: Nyanza-Kicukiro massacres: Rethinking the failure of international community

As soon as the Tutsi took refuge there on April 8, 1994, gathered in the same place, they were shot, in particular, they were shot with arrows, until April 11, 1994, when they were taken Nyanza Kicukiro where they were systematically massacred.

In 1994, within the ETO compound, there was a post of UN peacekeeping troops who had come in the framework of peacekeeping.

This is why the Tutsi had taken refuge there in large numbers, hoping to be protected by these well-armed UN soldiers.

However, Belgian contingent of the UN peacekeeping mission abandoned them in the hands of Interahamwe and soldiers ready to massacre them on April 11, 1994.

ALSO READ: Children killed at former ETO-Kicukiro during Genocide honoured

Upon the departure of the UN peacekeepers, Colonel Leonidas Rusatira brought in numerous soldiers who prevented the Tutsi from fleeing to CND - the current Rwandan Parliament where the RPF soldiers were stationed – the killers started to systematically kill Tutsis from SONATUBES, on the way towards Nyanza-Kicukiro where they were taken and killed with the use of Grenades. Interahamwe searched for those who may have survived the blasts and hacked them to death.

ALSO READ: April 10, 1994: A day that refused to end, Church sides with killers

The Belgian contingent stationed at ETO was led by Lieutenant Luc Lemaire, himself commanded by Lieutenant-Colonel Dewez, who also reported to Colonel Luc Marshall deputy of General Romeo Dallaire commander of the UNAMIR. They are the first to be held responsible for the massacre of 2,000 killed on April 11, 1994.

Massacres at the Kiziguro Catholic Parish, Byumba Diocese

From April 7 to 10, 1994, Tutsi from different localities, began taking refuge at Kiziguro Catholic Parish where they were told that they were going to be protected but the plan was to make them gather in one place and on April 11, 1994 they were killed, the massacres lasted from 10 am to 4 pm.

They were killed by the Interahamwe mobilized by the former bourgmestres including Jean-Baptiste Gatete, Onesphore Rwabukombe, Jean de Dieu Mwange, Martin Sibomana, Augustin Nkundabazungu, a businessman; Deogratias Niyonzima, the army Commander of Commune Murambi; Munyakazi, a police officer; Jean-Damascène Mbuguje, a businessman; Manasse Muganga, Emmanuel Mirasano, Biramahire Kaguru, Augustin Karekezi, Pierre-Claver Munyabuhoro, Balthazar Gakombe, Aloys Gakwerere, Emmanuel Mutsinzi, Paulin Karengera, who was inspector of primary school; Francois Musoni, Habib Manihura, Sylvain Kabalira, among others.

The massacres were supervised by soldiers from Gabiro military camp sent by Major Leonard Nkundiye, the former commander of the presidential guard of Habyarimana.

They were massacred in the courtyard of the parish, near water tanks, in the garden, at the dispensary, near the statue of the Virgin Mary and elsewhere behind the fence wall.

Their bodies were buried in holes of 60 metres deep, below the primary school. Many Tutsi were thrown in the pit and most of them were thrown in alive.

Doctor Emmanuel Rwamakuba, Sekamana and Fidèle Karangwa alias Gasongo, as well as others from Kiyombe, are often cited among those who killed near the pit.

Massacres at ADEPR Shagasha, Cyangugu

The Shagasha ADEPR was a church where many Christians went to pray, among them many Tutsi, which is why they took refuge there. The Tutsi who took refuge in the ADEPR were women and children, the men feared they would be killed there. About 60 Tutsi women and children took refuge there from April 11, 1994 when Tutsi started to be killed and their homes burnt down.

Even if they were women and children, the Interahamwe would come and select boys to go and kill them. In order to prevent them from being killed, they were clothed in dresses to be taken as girls.

In addition, male Tutsi who had been captured in the Shagasha, Munyove and Rwahi Sectors were brought at ADEPR Shagasha to be massacred, many Tutsi coming from these Sectors were thus killed at this church.

Massacres in Save, Gisuma, Cyangugu

In the former Gisuma Commune, in Ruharambuga Sector, Gihinga Cell, Cyangugu Prefecture, currently in Nyamasheke District, Ruharambuga Sector, Save Cell, over 50 Tutsi gathered on April 11, 1994 in the house of Odette Mukandagara, were all killed.

They had previously been surrounded in this cell before they were all brought to this house and were killed there. In the former Nyamuhunga Sector, Kimpundu Cell were also killed over 1,000 Tutsi who had been rounded up by Interahamwe from this locality.

The Tutsi had taken refuge there from the evening of April 9, 1994, and after their number had increased, they were all surrounded and killed on April 11, 1994 in broad daylight.

They were killed by Interahamwe who came from cells close to this sector, and by municipal police. The Interahamwe were led by the councillor of Sector, Francois Rujigo.

The communal police had previously arrived at the Tutsi refugees, reassuring them that they were coming to protect them while it was a trick to keep them together so that they did not flee to other places and then be killed massively.

Over 15,000 massacred at Hanika Parish

At Hanika Parish, currently in Nyamasheke District, in the Macuba sector, nearly 15,000 Tutsi who had taken refuge there were killed in the premises they occupied: the premises of the priests, the health center and the nutritional center, locals who all belonged to the Hanika Parish.

Among the Interahamwe who killed them was Alphonse alias Rasta, son of Pasteur who was a soldier. It was he who threw a grenade that killed Tutsi including Xavier Ngoboka and Gasheme, son of Basabose, the latter was an employee of Fabien Gatera.

Among other Interahamwe are Joseph Hatunguramye, Valens Hanyurwa, Oscar Nkerabahizi, Michel Bahimaya, Mukono a trader in Kirambo who offered beer to the Interahamwe so that they could go and kill with high morale.

The Tutsi of the Gatare Commune began to take refuge in the Parish Hanika on April 8 and 9, 1994, and on April 9, 1994, a young man who had been killed with a sword by one of his neighbors was buried on April 10, 1994 in the locality of Muramba-Gitwa; the Tutsi who attended the funeral were mocked by Hutu who told them that now they were going to bury theirs forever.

On April 11, 1994, the Bourgmestre of the former Gatare Commune, Fabien Rugwizangoga, arrived on the scene around 12 noon, he had just met with Emmanuel Bagambiki, the Prefect of Cyangugu.

Sometime later, around 3 p.m., when the bourgmestre had just left the locality, a group of killers attacked the Tutsi refugees to massacre them.

Among the killers was a woman by the name of Marigarita, who had been a counsellor before 1990, and who was reputed to have imprisoned many Tutsi on the false pretext that they were accomplices of the Inkotanyi.

Massacres at Midiho, EAR Nyagatovu, Kayonza, Kibungo

In the Mukarange Sector, at the place called Midiho, in the Nyagatovu Cell, on April 11, 1994, more than 200 Tutsi who had taken refuge in the EAR Nyagatovu were killed, and at the head of the killers was the merchant Thomas Kanyengoga from the Kayonza shopping center.

Until today, the bodies of the victims of this massacre have never been found to be buried in dignity.