On April 23, 1994, the Genocide against the Tutsi raged on across Rwanda, with horrific massacres intensifying in the former prefectures of Butare, Gikongoro, and Gitarama. In Gisagara, sous-préfet Dominique Ntawukuriryayo, Callixte Kalimanzira, and the mayor of Ndora commune, Pierre Rwankubito, ordered Tutsi refugees to gather on Kabuye Hill, under the false promise of safety. Once there, soldiers and police opened fire on them. The next day, more survivors were killed in a coordinated attack led by the Mayor of Muganza commune, Elie Ndayambaje, Burundian refugees from Kibayi camp, and members of the militia group known as “Jaguar.” ALSO READ: Queen Gicanda murdered, massacres escalate in Butare The killing spree spread throughout Kabuye Sector, formerly part of Ndora commune in Butare Prefecture. Refugees had fled there from neighbouring Nyaruguru, where mass killings had already begun. Some found shelter with relatives, while others gathered at a local market. On April 21, interim president Théodore Sindikubwabo visited the Gisagara sous-préfecture and publicly incited the population to kill the Tutsi. The next day, a mechanic named Fidèle Uwizeye drove a commune vehicle with police officers, who arrested young Tutsi who had sought refuge. They were detained at the police station and later killed that evening in the Rwasave forest. In Kamonyi District, the massacre on Bitsibo Hill had begun on April 20. Tutsi fled their homes, hiding in the bush or seeking refuge with neighbours. Many were rounded up by local leaders and taken to Musambira commune, where they were executed. On April 23, the authorities deceived survivors by declaring that peace had returned. Those still in hiding came out and returned home—only to be led to Bitsibo Primary School, where they were brutally murdered that evening and dumped into an old pit dug during the school’s construction. The number of victims at Bitsibo remains unknown but is believed to be very high. Many had fled to the area from Kayenzi commune on April 21 and 22, and from Gacurabwenge sector. At the school, the Tutsi were killed using traditional weapons—machetes, clubs, and sharpened tools. In Musange commune, Gikongoro prefecture (now Nyamagabe District), Tutsi began fleeing for safety on April 9. That day, Mayor Bernard Bizimana toured all sectors, urging Tutsi to gather at the commune office and promising them protection. Many believed him and took refuge there, while others sheltered at a nearby court building. On the morning of April 23, Interahamwe militia and soldiers opened fire on the gathered Tutsi for half an hour. Those who survived the gunfire were slaughtered with machetes, clubs embedded with nails, small hoes, and other crude weapons. The massacre lasted until evening as heavy rain fell. That night, some survivors attempted to escape to Nyanza in Butare, but many were caught and killed at Nyamagana pond. Nyamagana pond, originally created for irrigation during the reign of King Mutara III Rudahigwa, became a dumping ground for genocide victims in 1994. Tutsi from Gikongoro prefecture, especially from Rukondo and Kinyamakara communes, as well as survivors of the Kaduha parish massacre, sought refuge in Nyanza. However, a roadblock at the pond was used to lure them in with promises of safety. Once there, they were murdered with firearms, machetes, and clubs, or thrown into the pond alive. Those who tried to swim to safety were stoned until they drowned. One victim, Eraste Mudacumura, was chased and thrown into the water. His killers later mocked him, claiming he had committed suicide.
