On 6 April the plane carrying President Habyarimana was shot down near the capital Kigali, killing both him and President Cyprian Ntayamira of neighbouring Burundi, also a Hutu˳ It remains unclear who was responsible, but the blame was immediately placed on Tutsi insurgents˳ Attacks began against both Tutsis and moderate Hutus who supported the peace agreement, including Prime Minister Agathe Uwilingiyimana˳ Massacres of political opponents and Tutsis by the Rwandan Armed Forces and the Interahamwe began˳
On 7 April, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF), led by Paul Kagame, resumed fighting against the Rwandan Army and the Interahamwe˳
The Prime Minister, her husband and children sought protection from the UN forces stationed in the country˳ On 7 April the parents left their compound and were shot and killed by the Presidential Guard˳ Their five children escaped and eventually took refuge in Switzerland˳ On the same day the Interahamwe set up roadblocks and started to round up and kill Tutsi men, women and children˳ Most were killed by pangas – machete-like weapons˳
As the murders continued many people sought refuge in what they believed would be safe havens – churches, hospitals, schools, sports stadia and community centres˳ The Interahamwe, knowing that people were hiding in these places, deliberately targeted them˳ On 15 and 16 April, between 5,000 and 10,000 people were massacred at the Nyarubuye Catholic Church˳ 4,500 were murdered at Kibuye Football Stadium and 3,500 at Gatwaro Stadium˳
The Government and Armed Forces encouraged civilians to carry out the murder of their neighbours and friends˳ Hutus who refused do so included local officials, priests and nuns˳ They were then targeted and attacked˳ The murderers used a variety of weapons such as machetes, clubs with nails embedded in them and axes˳ Guns were not preferred weapons as they killed victims too quickly and the bullets were too expensive˳
Despite the horrific scenes taking place across Rwanda there were also acts of great bravery˳ Sula Karuhimbi was an elderly woman who lived alone on a small farm and had knowledge of natural medicines˳ When the genocide began she hid more than 20 Tutsis in her animal shed and fed them from her small stock of vegetables˳ When attackers came to her farm she used her reputation as a ‘witch’ to frighten them off and protect the people hiding˳
Following the death of her uncle and cousins Beata Uwazaninka fled to the house of a neighbour, Yahaya˳ He refused to allow the Interahamwe into his home to murder Beata despite the risk to himself and his family˳ Yahaya was a Muslim who said that in the Koran it states ‘If you save one life, it saves the world entire˳’ A similar phrase also appears in Jewish texts˳
Others, such as Jean Louis Mazimpaka, survived by hiding in their towns or by escaping to the Congo where there were refugee camps˳ These camps also posed dangers as Hutus deliberately targeted them knowing that Tutsis sought safety in them˳
Some survived because their attackers believed them to be dead˳ Daphrose Mukangarambe was married with five children˳ She was beaten and finally hit with a machete on her forehead and lost consciousness˳ Before she lost consciousness she saw her baby murdered by a neighbour and dogs taking the body˳ Daphrose was the only member of her family to survive the genocide˳
On 17 July the RPF troops reached the capital and the genocide finally ended˳ The RPF now occupied the majority of Rwanda, and immediately established a new government, based loosely on the Arusha Accords˳ Pasteur Bizimungu, a moderate Hutu who had joined the RPF in 1990, was declared as President, with Paul Kagame – commander of the RPF as Vice President˳ Kagame took over as President in 2000, and has remained in power since˳
In the 100 days of the genocide over 1 million Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered˳ Many more were maimed and scarred for life˳ The United Nations reported that at least 250,000 women and girls were raped and of those who survived the genocide 67% were estimated to have contracted HIV/AIDS˳ In many cases, this resulted from a systematic and deliberate use of rape by HIV positive men as a weapon of genocide˳ Up to 20,000 children were born after the genocide as a result of rape˳
Hundreds of thousands of children were left orphaned after genocide˳ Before 1994 there were only four orphanages across the country, but after genocide there were over 30˳ Many more children lived on the streets, not able to access education, and forming groups in which older children looked after younger ones˳
Around 75% of the Tutsi population was murdered during the genocide, leaving a much-reduced population surviving and attempting to rebuild their lives˳
