Stories from Rwanda

During my pilgrimage I" was gifted with 2 nights in Kigali, Rwanda. I received so many gifts while I was there, one being time spent at the Kigali Memorial Centre (www.kigalimemorialcentre.org).

There are many moments from my walk thought the centre that will remain with me for days to come. I would like to share one with you today, the moment was reading the stories of resistance and sacrifice of ordinary men & women who lived during a particular moment in time with extraordinary courage. Resistance to genocide took various forms. The RPF led the political and armed resistance to genocide. Members of the moderate wings of different political parties, some of the victims organized resistance to killings, and a number of Hutus and others hid targeted victims sometime at the risk of their own lives.

Here are a few of their stories...

Resistance in Bisesero
"Tutsis at Bisesero came from across the region to fight back. Aminadabu Birara and Simeon Karamaga led a large force of men in the forested hills of Bisesero.

When there was an attack we'd make noise screaming, hitting drums and jerry-cans. After attacking us, in the evening they'd go back home and we'd regroup and assess how things were going. They brought heavy ammunition; grenade launchers, rockets, anti-tanks... we used stones and arrows... Their plan was to get us out of the mountains so that they could kill us easily.

We resisted for about a week, until in the end they sent a force of Presidential Guard from Kigali who defeated us. Fighting against armed men is a problem. We were weak." Innocent Ndamyimana Gisanura
When French troops arrived there were still survivors in the hills. It is reported that they reassured the resistors that it was safe to come out of hiding, then left. Thinking it was safe, the weak survivors emerged to be slaughtered by the interahamwe.

Of an estimated 50,000 Tutsis who had taken refuge in the hills, only one thousand survived to tell the story of Bisesero.

Resistance in Yahaya Nsengiyumva
Nsengiyumva Yahaya was a Muslim living in Nyamirambo. During the genocide he is said to have saved the lives of over 30 people, who he protected or hid in his outhouse.

"The interahamwe killer was chasing me down the alley. I was going to die any second. I banged on the door of the yard. It opened almost immediately. He took me by the hand and stood in his doorway and told the killer to leave. He said that the Koran says: 'If you save one life it is like saving the whole world.' He did not know it is a Jewish text as well." Beatha Uwazaninka