Citation
Witness on the Abasesero resistance during the genocide and the effects of the genocide
on today.
Name: Chadrac Muvunandinda
Before the genocide
Cellule: Nyarutovu
Sector: Bisesero
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Presently living at:
Cellule: Karama
Sector: Musenyi
Commune: Gishyita
Préfecture: Kibuye
Age: 50 years old
Marital Status: Widower of the genocide
I was in the fields on the 7 April 1994, when the news reached me that the Ikinana, the
President Habyarimana was dead. At about 9:00 a.m. people started to flee. They felt insecure
due to widespread rumours that were going around. It was said that President Habyarimana’s
death could lead to the massacre of many Tutsis. I had to go back home and in the evening we
spent the night in the bushes because we were in such a panic.
On Friday, 8 April 1994, Tutsis began to be tortured, especially intellectual Tutsis.
Emmanuel Murindahabi and Charles Nkundiye, who were agronomists from the commune of
Gishyita, as well as all other Tutsis, were arrested and put into the prison of the commune. Their
motorbikes were stolen. Kazungu from Bisesero was seriously hit but he managed to escape.
On Saturday, 9 April 1994, the people from the cellule of Karama, came to ask for our
help as they said that they had been attacked by gangs of thieves. When we got there, we were
met by the communal police, communal officials and the locals from the region, as well as the
bourgmestre for the commune of Gishyita, Charles Sikubinabo. They began to shoot us down.
It was after this that we decided that we would have to start defending ourselves.
On 13 April 1994, the Presidential Guards (G.P. Garde Présidentielle), the Interahamwe
militiamen from various Préfectures as well as other locals, carried out a violent attacks on us
and surrounded us everywhere. There was a great number of them and they were heavily armed.
They had one objective in mind, which was to kill all the Tutsis who had sought refuge in
Bisesero. No-one was to escape death. When we saw them all, we gathered together. However
our defence was over now. Many of us had already been killed and we did not have enough
weapons. They began to shoot us down and we ran for our lives. Many people died.
I managed to save myself by running away. I came to a large slippery rock and I fell
down. I fractured my spine. I lay still where I had fallen and nobody found me. This is how I
managed to avoid being killed in the massacre. In the evening, I went to look for the others who
had survived. I found them in a house which had been destroyed and which had no roof. We
spent the night there. Those who were still in good health, looked after me by using traditional
medicines and warm water. They did the same for those who were wounded. We collected
water in broken jugs.
After this massacre, our neighbours continued to kill many of us. They had a list of the
people who were still alive. Once they had killed someone, they crossed their name off the list
and carried on their hunt. They carried on like this until 26 April 1994, when their final attack
was to take place. However, the French army came to our area on that day to save us. They
promised us that they would return on the 30 June 1994, to save us. We had to carry on hiding
until this date. They then returned on 30 June 1994, and rounded us up to protect us. The
wounded were taken to hospital and those who remained were given food to eat and soap to
wash with. Because of the bad conditions our legs had swollen and we had difficulty in walking.
Two young men died. They were: Emmanuel, son of Munyanshongore and Grégoire
Ndikumzima, son of Munyandamutsa. We were able to drive off our attackers who we believed
to be a band of robbers. At that time we were allied with our Hutu neighbours.
Shortly afterwards, a group of people, headed by the bourgmestre of the commune of
Gishyita, some gendarmes and the policeman of the commune, Ruhindura, arrived and declared
a cease-fire. Our arms were taken away from us and given to our enemies. These were our
traditional arms, inherited from our ancestors - machetes, old spears, and clubs. Our fathers and
our grandfathers had always used to carry arms so that they were always able to defend
themselves against cattle thieves. Thanks to these arms, they had been able to defend themselves
against the previous massacres of Tutsis which had occurred in the past. In 1962 they had
repulsed the Parmehutus who had launched an attack on them together with some white men.
Their aim was to abolish the monarchist Tutsi regime. The only way to attain this end was to
decimate all the Tutsis including the Bisesero who were very numerous. I was a young boy at
the time and I saw everything that happened. They were armed with guns. My brother,
Gahamanyi, was shot and killed in this massacre. Many other people were also killed although
we were eventually victorious in the conflict.
The next day which was Sunday, 10th April 1994, all the Hutus gathered together and
were told that they should separate themselves from the Tutsis and kill every single one. From
this moment on, all Hutus were our enemies. On Monday, at about 8:00 a.m., there was a huge
massacre and many of us were killed, mostly women and children who could not escape. We
had very little strength left and were disheartened because our attackers were so numerous and
well-armed. They attacked us from all sides. We had no other way to defend ourselves other
than to flee. During the next few days, there were no serious attacks until the 13th April 1994.
Three weeks later, we were taken to the FPR zone at Nyange as we had requested.
When the French soldiers realized that we did not wish to be with them, they became angry and
stopped giving us food. While we were in the FPR zone, we didn’t have any problems. The FPR
soldiers gave us food. We continued on our way to Gitarama which was a region where food
was plentiful.
It was at this time that the consequences of the genocide became apparent. Some of the
old people died because of the long journey and because it was difficult for them to find
something to eat since their other members of their families were no longer alive. Also, older
people died of various illness such as diarrhoea, malaria...
Shortly afterwards, we left Gitarama and settled down in our own commune. Although I
had just escaped death, I was full of grief because of the deaths of my children and my wife. I
was alone. We lived in houses which belonged to the communal office. We harvested whatever
crops the Interahamwe soldiers had left in our fields. We looked for houses in the Karama
cellule because we had decided that we ought to live near our fields so that we could cultivate
them. Our own houses had been destroyed. Some us us were able to build houses. I was alone
with one disabled child and I had no means of building a house. At the moment, I am on my
own. My child has been taken to Goma (Zaire) to be treated for the wound he received from the
gunfire. It seems he is now at Kamembe (Cyangugu) but I haven’t seen him. I do not have the
means to make the journey to go and see him.
Even if I could build myself a house, it would be no easy matter to live there alone
because of the question of security. At the moment we live in a place where there are many
survivors of the genoicide. This is comforting for us as we feel that we are not alone. We need
to be together to defend ourselves against the many attacks we are subjected from those who
have managed to slip back into the country with the mass of returning refugees. Before this
influx, we lived in harmony with those who had not fled the country and who had nothing to do
with the genoicide. We wanted to bring the killers to justice without having a problem with their
families. (?)
The situation has now become serious. There are genocidal killers who have returned
and who do not want to be brought to justice. They live in the bush. Others hide with their
families who look after them. Since they know very well that we will be witnesses against them,
they want to kill us. That is why we do not spend the night in our houses. We hide in the bush
and in the morning we venture out. We all stick together so when one of us is attacked, we form
our own defence. We are used to driving off the enemy.
With regard to reconciliation, it is not easy to attain because the killers do not want to
give up their evil ways. We cannot be reconciled with an enemy who has looted our belongings,
who has killed our families and who even now does not leave us alone. And this shows that they
themselves are not ready for reconciliation.
As well as the problems which all survivors face, I have personal problems. I am a
widower and I need to remarry so that I will have someone to comfort me and help me in my
work. However, it is difficult for me to find a woman to marry as I am old and disabled. I do not
have the strength to fulfill the responsibilities of a head of a family. Also, there are no women
survivors in Bisesero. As I have already said, women and children were the first victims of the
genocide. We are forced to marry Hutu women whose families have murdered our families.
These mixed marriages (between Tutsis and Hutus) do take place but it is obvious that they do
not result in happy families. Because I am disabled, I experience problems in undertaking certain
tasks such as farming even though it is my job. Sometimes I am unable to work because
injuries, which I received during the genocide, flare up and I haven’t any money to get help for
them.
The repercussions of the genocide are numerous and the most serious problem is that of
security. Several times the government has sent soldiers to our region and we go on patrols with
them. When that happens, we feel safe but as soon as they leave we are subjected to regular
attacks and we spend our nights in the bush.
We hope that the problem will be solved by the government adopting a strategy of
regrouping the Rwandan population. As long as we survivors are kept together, it will be easy to
guarantee our safety.
Interviewed in Musenyi, 8 February 1997.
