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

One of the days that will forever go down as the darkest days in Rwanda’s history is April 10, 1994. It’s one of those peak days of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The Tutsi were hunted and massacred on a much wider scale. The French continued to support the genocidal government of Jean Kambanda that had taken over. Evacuations to Paris continued, 94 orphans (mostly children of FAR soldiers) from the Sainte-Agathe orphanage, sponsored by Agathe Kanziga, wife of the late president, Juvenal Habyarimana were evacuated via Bangui to Paris. ALSO READ: April 9, 1994: France evacuates own citizens, Akazu members as massacre of Tutsi escalates They were accompanied by 34 people, whose identity has never been revealed. On April 10, Jérôme Bicamumpaka, then Minister of Foreign Affairs in the genocidal government of Jean Kambanda, met with the French Ambassador to Rwanda, Jean Michel Marlaud, and asked him for the intervention of French forces to control the situation. The intervention he meant was France deploying alongside the then Rwandan armed forces in the fight against the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA). France was not asking for an end to the massacres, which for the genocidaires gave them moral support to continue committing massacres without any fear. Catholic bishops mourn Habyarimana In a press release written in French on April 10 by the Bishop of Kabgayi, Thaddée Nsengiyumva, and published in the Catholic Church Journal Osservatore Romano, the Catholic bishops of Rwanda said they were dismayed following the death of Juvenal Habyarimana and shocked by the number of assassinations perpetrated since that day . They did not speak of massacres of Tutsi, but of referred to the situation in the country as ‘disturbances’, and did not name the perpetrators of massacres. ALSO READ: A genocidal cloud still hovers over church In the press release, the bishops said that they paid tribute to the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) who took security issues at heart. The bishops said nothing about the role of FAR in the massacres. It adds in part that the bishops welcome the establishment of a new government, to which they pledge their support. They asked all Rwandans to lighten the load of the new leaders by responding favourably to their calls and by helping them in carrying out the task they have assigned to the new government”. ALSO READ: April 8, 1994: Genocide spread all over Rwanda, soldiers, Interahamwe joined forces to kill Tutsi This was a clear stand for the genocidaires since the Catholic bishops were supporting an army that was killing, and a government that was massacring Tutsi civilian population. Massacres in Rushashi On March 10, 1994, many Tutsi were killed in Rwankuba at the Catholic parish, near the offices of the Rushashi Sector formerly Rushashi Sub-prefecture and around Rushashi court, in Shyombwe as well as at the Kinyari shopping center. The place was called CND in 1994. Meetings planning the massacres of Tutsi were organized in Rushashi, some at the residence and offices of Bourgmestre of the former Musasa Commune, Aloys Havugimana, while others were organized at the headquarters of the Kigali Ngali Prefecture which were led by the Prefect Francois Karera, also at the office of the Rushashi Sub-prefecture, at that of the Rushashi Commune, at the Shyombwe Sector, at the EAV Rushashi and at the office of the Joma Sector. ALSO READ: Hate Radio: Theatre play on RTLM’s role in 1994 Genocide to be showcased in Huye, Kigali Note that prefect Karera was tried and found guilty of genocide by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. He was sentenced to life imprisonment and died in custody Massacres in Ngororero, Satinsyi From 8 to 10 April 1994, in Ngororero where there was the old headquarters of the MRND and the office of the Ngororero Sub-prefecture, in Gisenyi Prefecture, many Tutsi from the Satinsyi, Ramba and Gaseke Communes were killed and in surroundings; some of them were burned to death with the use of gasoline in these buildings in which they believed to have found hiding. ALSO READ: April 7, 1994: What really happened on the day killings unfolded? Many meetings which planned these massacres were held in the offices of what were formerly the Sub-prefecture of Ngororero and the Communes Ramba, Gaseke and Satinskyi. Most of the Tutsi were killed on April 10, 1994, and it was this date that was chosen by the District to commemorate their memory. Among them are Berchmans Rwangarinda, a teacher, and his family, a businessman Martin Bizimungu, the family of Rukara and others who, after taking refuge there, returned to their homes. Tutsi were gathered at the office of the former Ngororero Sub-prefecture and were killed after meetings organized at the offices of the Ramba, Gaseke and Satinskyi Communes Massacres in Bugesera Rebero is located in the Bugesera District, in the Mayange Sector. In 1994, when the Genocide had just started, the Tutsi who lived near Rebero, those of Mayange, Kibenga, Mbyo and some of Nyamata and others, took refuge on the hill of Rebero to join other Tutsi and be able to defend themselves. ALSO READ: How Genocide was first experimented in Bugesera On April 8, 1994, many Tutsi arrived on Rebero Hill and gathered, and on the same day they were attacked by a group of killers but resisted and repelled the attack On April 10, 1994, soldiers from the Gako military camp attacked and shot the Tutsi who were on Rebero Hill. There were very few survivors because after the gunfire, Interahamwe came in hacking those that were still alive. The main organizer of this massacre was Lieutenant-Colonel Pheneas Munyarugarama who commanded the Gako military camp. Massacres at Gahanga Church Since April 8, 1994, when the Genocide had intensified, many Tutsi from Gahanga and various other localities took refuge in the Gahanga church. On April 9, 1994, the local authorities and the Interahamwe asked the Hutu to leave the church. The Tutsi were not allowed to go out and on April 10, 1994 all the Hutu who had taken refuge there were left, and only the Tutsi remained in the church. On the same day, the killings began but the Tutsi resisted and repelled the Interahamwe. It was Councillor Buregeya who then asked for the reinforcement of soldiers who would come to kill the Tutsi using firearms. On the same day of April 10, 1994 soldiers arrived and shot at the Tutsi in the church, many were killed, and after the Interahamwe came to finish off anyone who was still alive. Almost all of the Tutsi who were in the church were massacred and the few survivors were seriously injured. The Genocide Memorial built on the site of the church contains more than 7,000 bodies of victims. Massacres in Rwinkeke, Karambi, Murundi In Rwinkeke in Karambi, Murundi Sector, there was a Catholic church. On April 8 and 9, 1994, many Tutsi took refuge there. On April 10, 1994, the local Hutu, supported by Interahamwe from Murambi at Jean Baptiste Gatete’s house, exterminated all these Tutsi and threw them into latrine pits which had been dug near the church. The killers were led by Appolinaire Gahirwa who was convicted of the crime of genocide, but has now completed his sentence and has been released, as well as the man named Gakwandi who has never been arrested to be brought to justice. Widespread massacres across the country Massacres were perpetrated at the Nyarubuye Parish, Rusumo. The killings were organized by the bourgmestre Sylvestre Gacumbitsi. On the same day, the Interahamwe massacred the Tutsi in Karambi, Cyimbogo Commune (Cyangugu). Between April 10-11, there was massacre in the church of Zaza (Kibungo), more than 1,000 dead. On April 10, the great massacre took place at the Kiziguro Parish organized by Jean-Baptiste Gatete, bourgmestre of Murambi, 3,500 to 3,700 dead.

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