Alain Gauthier has paid tribute to his wife, Dafroza Mukarumongi Gauthier, a leading campaigner for justice for victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, who died on October 3.

Speaking on Monday, October 12, during a requiem for his wife in Reims, a city located 130 kilometres east of Paris, Gauthier said he would remember her as a beacon of hope whose pursuit of justice was marked by kindness rather than hatred or vengeance.

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Alain said the multitude of tributes he received after her death showed how her life and work had touched people.

"Deeply moved by the hundreds of tributes describing you as a warrior who fought without hatred or a desire for vengeance, as a beacon, a light in the darkness,” he said during the service.

He noted that many people remembered her not only for her campaign for justice but also for her personal qualities.

"Everyone speaks of your kindness, your welcoming nature, and your zest for life,” he said.

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The couple founded the Collectif des parties civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR) in 2001, an organisation that has pursued Genocide suspects who lived in France. For a quarter century, the couple gathered survivors’ testimonies, compiled evidence and prepared case files to help French authorities prosecute suspects.

Alain reflected on their nearly 50 years together, the suffering Dafroza endured and the tributes that followed her death. Dafroza died at the age of 72 after years of battling cancer.

The funeral service was attended by relatives, Genocide survivors, as well as Rwanda's Ambassador to France Francois Nkulikiyimfura and Lousie Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of La Francophonie, among others. it was followed by a private cremation ceremony attended family members and close friends.

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Alain also spoke of the tragedies Dafroza endured, including life in exile, the loss of her parents and the murder of her relatives during the Genocide.

"You, who endured so much tragedy: the murders of your parents, thirty years apart; exile; the anguish of losing, during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, everyone we loved and who loved us,” he said.

He said the tributes came from people across different social backgrounds, all recognising the lasting place she held in their lives.

"Everyone has acknowledged that you were, and will remain for all of us, a light,” Alain said.

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A life of family and loss

Reflecting on their life together, Alain said they made most of their major decisions in agreement, often without lengthy discussions. They married nearly five decades ago, and for the first 12 years built what he described as an ordinary family life.

They had three children and their family later grew to include two children-in-law and five grandchildren.

He also expressed gratitude and emotion at the friends who travelled from different places to pay their last respects to her.

In his eulogy, Alain recalled spending long hours beside Dafroza during her final days in hospital, when she was often too tired to speak. He singled out September 24 as a particularly memorable day, recalling her radiant face as she received the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick.

Decades of work for justice

The Gauthiers began their campaign for justice in 1996, travelling to Rwanda to meet survivors, collect testimonies and gather evidence relating to the Genocide. Their work included identifying suspects living in France, visiting crime scenes and preparing files for French authorities.

The couple were behind almost all of about 30 complaints filed in France against Rwandans suspected of involvement in the Genocide that claimed over one million lives.

One of the cases was that of Eugene Rwamucyo, a doctor sentenced in 2024 to 27 years in prison for complicity in genocide and crimes against humanity.

The couple also visited schools and universities to explain the history of the Genocide and counter denial.

Their work was also recognised by the Rwandan government. President Paul Kagame awarded them ‘Impeta y’Igihango’, the National Order of Outstanding Friendship, on November 18, 2017, in recognition of their contribution to justice for victims and Rwanda’s international standing.

Born in Butare on August 4, 1954, Dafroza was nine when her father was killed during the 1963 massacres in Gikongoro. She fled Rwanda following the violence of 1973 and settled in France.

She returned to Kigali in February 1994 to visit her family but left after her mother warned her that the security situation was deteriorating. Her attempts to persuade relatives to leave were unsuccessful. About 80 members of her family were killed during the Genocide, including her mother, Suzana Mukamusoni.

In his tribute, Alain recalled the words of a French song he had quoted at one of their wedding anniversaries, expressing the love he said would remain with him.

"I loved you, I love you, and I will always love you,” he said.