On April 16, 1994, Rukumberi, located in the present-day Ngoma district, experienced horrific massacres that nearly wiped out the entire Tutsi population there.
The area had faced attacks earlier when the Genocide against the Tutsi started on April 7, but the violence escalated dramatically when government soldiers and the police joined forces with the killers to target the Tutsi community.
ALSO READ: April 15, 1994: Tutsi drowned in Lake Muhazi, children smashed onto walls
Situated between two lakes - Mugesera and Sake, as well as the Akagera river, Rukumberi's geography made the extermination of thousands of Tutsi easier for the Interahamwe militias.
According to records, by the time the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) intervened on May 5, over 35,000 Tutsi had been brutally murdered. The RPA's intervention managed to save around 700 Tutsi, including those who were critically injured.
The killings of Tutsi in Rukumberi started on the morning of April 7, 1994 in Ntovi Cell.
Due to the huge number of Tutsi who lived there, they tried to resist at first.
On April 8, 1994, Interahamwe came from Sake Commune equipped with traditional weapons and escorted by the municipal police led by bourgmestre Ernest Rutayisire and Sylvain Mutabaruka, a Member of Parliament, stormed an ADPER church where many Tutsi had gathered and killed more than 1,800 of them.
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The attacks continued on April 10. This time, they actively involved Burundian refugees who lent a hand to the Interahamwe in hunting down and killing the Tutsi in their hiding places, especially in sorghum plantations. At the home of one Tutsi named Ruhumuriza, more than 200 Tutsi were murdered, having taken refuge there.
The following days were also characterised by attacks, the major of which was on April 16, claiming more than 10,000 lives. Though they had earlier tried to defend themselves, the continuous attacks that had taken place in the earlier days had weakened them, and left them vulnerable.
On that day, lakes Mugesera and Sake were busy with boats carrying Interahamwe to Rukumberi to carry out the massacres. They killed many Tutsi, even those who were hiding in the papyrus swamps and sorghum plantations.
Other areas of the country also continued to face the onslaught of the genocidaires. For example, in Kibuye (current Karongi), at Kibuye Catholic Church and at Home St. Jean, Interahamwe attacked and killed many of the 11,400 who had taken refuge there.
The attacks started with gun shoots outside the church, which forced people to enter the church. When almost everyone had entered, soldiers from the nearby Military camp located on Gatwaro hill started to fire grenades at the church.
ALSO READ: April 13, 1994: When churches turned into slaughter houses
Afterwards, Interahamwe entered and started stabbing those who had not been killed by the grenades.
In Nyamata, Bugesera, many Tutsi were killed at Benebikira sisters and St Agnes Maternity where they had taken refuge. Soldiers and Interahamwe threw grenades into the facility, broke the gate and entered. They used machetes and traditional weapons to commit the murders.
In Mugonero, Karongi district, many killings took place at a major Seventh Day Adventist facility that contained a church, a hospital, and a nurse training institution.
An Interahamwe attack took place on the Sabbath day, with killers entering the church and shooting with guns, as well as throwing grenades onto Tutsi. Many died there, while others were injured.
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In Kigabiro, Rwamagana, Francois Turatsinze, a former leader of Kigabiro Sector, guaranteed security to many Tutsi who had taken refuge at his home. However, they ended up being killed on April 16.
The killings at Turatsinze's home were gruesome as they involved the snatching of babies from their mothers and throwing them into a pit latrine.
In the same district, approximately 3,000 Tutsi were killed at the shore lines of Lake Muhazi. Many of these were first stripped naked before they were escorted to the lake, by Interahamwe who went beating them and cutting their heels.
When they arrived at the lake, the Interahamwe finished them off by drowning them into it.
