Dafroza Mukarumongi Gauthier, a co-founder of a France-based organisation that pursued justice for people suspected of involvement in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has died at the age of 72.
News of her death, following an illness, spread on Saturday, October 3.
Together with her husband, Alain Gauthier, Dafroza founded the Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR) in 2001. The organisation gathered testimonies and evidence in Rwanda and compiled case files that were submitted to French authorities for prosecution.
Their work earned the couple national recognition in Rwanda. On November 18, 2017, President Paul Kagame awarded them 'Impeta y’Igihango', the National Order of Outstanding Friendship, for their contribution to bringing Genocide suspects to justice and strengthening Rwanda's standing internationally.
Pursuing justice in France
Dafroza and Alain began their justice campaign in 1996, travelling to Rwanda to meet survivors, gather testimonies and trace information about people suspected of involvement in the Genocide.
Their work included identifying suspects in France, travelling to Rwanda to collect evidence from places where crimes were committed, interviewing survivors and prisoners, and preparing files for the French justice system.
Dafroza's knowledge of Kinyarwanda, Rwanda's history and her training as a chemical engineer also enabled her to translate and interpret documents used in court proceedings.
The couple were behind almost all of about 30 complaints filed in France against Rwandans suspected of participating in the Genocide. Among the cases was that of doctor Eugène Rwamucyo, who was sentenced in 2024 to 27 years in prison for complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity.
Beyond court cases, Dafroza and her husband visited schools and universities to share the history of the Genocide and counter denial.
Her story of survival
Born on August 4, 1954, in Butare, Dafroza had experienced persecution against Tutsi from an early age. Her father was killed during the 1963 massacres in Gikongoro, when she was nine.
She later fled Rwanda following the violence of 1973 and eventually settled in France, where she married Alain. They had three children.
In February 1994, she returned to Kigali to visit her family but left after her mother warned her about the deteriorating security situation. She tried unsuccessfully to persuade relatives to leave.
During the Genocide, about 80 members of her family were killed, including her mother, Suzana Mukamusoni, who was shot dead in April 1994.
Dafroza later devoted much of her life to ensuring that the victims were remembered and that those suspected of responsibility faced justice.
Her work with Alain was chronicled in the 2023 book Rwanda, à la poursuite des génocidaires, written by journalist Thomas Zribi with illustrator Damien Roudeau and a foreword by writer and artist Gaël Faye.