Survivors ask UN to hunt down and punish Burundian Hutus who committed
genocide in Rwanda

Rwandans accord the remains of members of their families who were
murdered during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi a decent burial.
Survivors want Burundians who allegedly took part in the killings to
be pursued. Photo/Cyril Ndegeya
By Daniel Sabiiti Special Correspondent
Posted Saturday, May 10 2014 at 12:54
In Summary
The killers are alleged to have fuelled the Genocide against the Tutsi
and carried out several attacks on Congolese of Rwandan descent,
commonly known as Banyamulenge.
Survivors are now demanding that the United Nations and other
international actors address the issue by bringing to book the
culprits, some of whom they say are known.
Many of the genocide survivors believe that the suspects are living in
Burundi and DRC, although some of them, especially the rich ones, have
managed to flee to Western countries.
Among the wounds of genocide that Rwanda has borne for the past 20
years is the untried cases of Burundian Hutu militia who were involved
in killing Rwandan Tutsis during the 1994 genocide.
The killers are alleged to have fuelled the Genocide against the Tutsi
and carried out several attacks on Congolese of Rwandan descent,
commonly known as Banyamulenge.
Survivors are now demanding that the United Nations and other
international actors address the issue by bringing to book the
culprits, some of whom they say are known.
Even though it is clear that Rwandans started killing each other after
the plane carrying then Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana and his
Burundian counterpart were shot down at Kigali airport, what could
have been the reason for Burundians to get involved in the Genocide
against the Tutsi is a mystery.
The role of Burundians and some of their officials getting involved in
the killings is one of the issues that has not been addressed, even
amidst testimonies of some survivors carrying the painful memories of
the genocide.
Cases of places where Burundians were involved in the genocide in the
Mayaga area, which includes parts of current Bugesera District, and
Ntongwe and Kinazi in Ruhango, Mugina in Kamonyi and all over Southern
Province, especially in districts near the Burundi border.
During the 20th commemoration of genocide in Kinazi Sector, Southern
Province, touching testimonies of survivors moved the mourners as they
recounted most shocking tales of how the Burundian Hutu militias
crossed the border to aid the Rwandan Hutu extremists in the killings.
A survivor said when the genocide started it was massacres like
anywhere else but when the Burundians joined in, they did not only
fuel the killings but also taught Rwandan militias to kill and eat the
hearts of their victims.
"The worst thing that happened was that the Rwandan officials who
planned the genocide brought in the Burundian refugees to Nyagahamba,
which is nearby, and what they did was horrible – not only teaching
Rwandans how to kill but even worse," said Sam Dusabiyumva at the
Kwibuka Flame Tour in Kinazi.
Pursue the suspects
The survivors have over the past 20 years demanded that the government
pursues the suspects, who are now in Burundi and around the region.
The Speaker of the Rwanda Senate, Dr Jean Damascene Ntawukuriryayo,
says that the pleas of survivors have, indeed, been presented many
times and the government will look into the possibilities of seeking
justice.
According to Mr Dusabiyumva, the killings started from places near the
border – such as Gitovu, Rutabo and Nyarurama – and that there were
deadly attacks on Tutsis as early as 1992 in Bugesera.
'Kill and teach others to do it'
"The Burundians had everything they needed to do the killing in
Rwanda," Mr Dusabiyumva said. "They had done it in their country and
they were free to live here without question and do it again. They
were equipped with weapons and were idle, so all they did was to kill
and teach others to do it."
Mr Dusabiyumva said one of the leaders was behind the killings and
that he is still in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), adding:
"We know that, and he has not faced justice."
He said the massacre was systematic because the killers herded people
into designated killing grounds in Nyamukoma, Ruhango District, with
full knowledge and connivance of local leaders, who duped the fleeing
Tutsis into seeking refuge there.
Ntaganira Wellars, also a survivor of Mayaga, recalled a Burundian
master killer who was trained to use his bare hands to pluck a heart
of a human being.
"It is the Burundians who taught Rwandans how to do the most evil
things during the genocide," he said. "This man would literally uproot
a heart and they would roast it on a pike and eat it."
The National Prosecutor-General says the fact that some Burundians
committed genocide in Rwanda is a concern for the National Public
Prosecution Authority (NPPA) and that allegations of Burundian
perpetrators of genocide persist.
"NPPA is steadfast in its commitment to pursue suspects anywhere in
the world to ensure justice is done," said Mr Muhumuza. "However, we
cannot pursue suspects without knowing their identities.
"Anyone with information on the identities of the Burundian suspects
should give the information to us, upon which we will undertake
rigorous investigations and pursue extradition or foreign
prosecution."
Many of the genocide survivors believe that the suspects are living in
Burundi and DRC, although some of them, especially the rich ones, have
managed to flee to Western countries.
On the night of August 13, 2004, a refugee camp in Gatumba was the
scene of one of the bloodiest civilian massacres in recent years when
Hutu militia from Burundi, with the help of Congolese, killed
Banyamulenge.
Recognise the massacre
Survivors say the camp had two sections separated by the colour of the
tents; the first was occupied by Banyamulenge and some Bambembe
families while the other housed Bafulero and Burundian refugees. The
attackers targeted the part that had Banyamulenge, they added.
One of the survivors, Saraphine Gasose, said the attacks started at
10pm and lasted for about two hours, leaving mutilated bodies, many of
them burnt, scattered throughout the camp.
"We were asleep in the tent when we heard gunshots. My young sister
and brother were shot and died on the spot," said Ms Gasose, adding
that the killers were beating war drums as their colleagues shot,
burnt and slaughtered the refugees.
The leader of the Banyamulenge community in Rwanda, Dieudonné Mikuba,
insists that the Burundian and DRC governments and the UN should
recognise the massacre as genocide, prosecute those who participated
in the massacre and repatriate Banyamulenge refugees who are scattered
all over the world.
At the ninth commemoration of the massacre, held in Muhanga District,
Mr Mikuba said: "We have petitioned the Congolese government and the
UN to apprehend the suspects and the most painful part is that nothing
has been done to the self-confessed suspects who massacred our
people."
He nonetheless added that, even though there has been no action or
response to their plight, the Banyamulenge were not about to give up
on their pursuit for justice and he was hopeful that one day the world
will listen to their cry and bring the suspects to book.
http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/Rwanda/News/-/1433218/2309940/-/jlq0orz/-/index.html
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