The brave residents of Giheka who protected Tutsi from interahamwe killings during 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi

By Elias Hakizimana.

The 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that claimed over 1 million lives of Tutsi in Rwanda was terrible, but some brave citizens managed to dedicate themselves to protect Tutsi from Interahamwe killings.

A good example is Giheka village, Kagugu cell in Kinyinya sector, Gasabo District, where citizens came together both Hutus and Tutsi and made a strong line to push back Interahamwe militia who wanted to kill the Tutsi in the village.

These citizens demystified a local proverb in Kinyarwanda that said: ‘Iyo amagara aterewe hejuru umwe asama aye,” which means everybody saves his/her life in case of a danger. The citizens decided to put their lives in danger to save Tutsi who were a target for interahamwe militia.

Adella Mukankubana and his two brothers are among the genocide survivors who also participated in such a bravery act, to save lives of fellow neighbors, family members and the entire residents of a village as any single life was lost by then, until the Rwanda Patriotic Army (RPA) appeared and stopped the genocide.

Speaking to the journalist of imbemburo.com, Mukankubana said that the situation was very awful, because interahamwe were surrounding them from everywhere and they could not find a place to hide, so they decided to stay together for a common death or common survival.

“During the screaming of the victims being killed by then; and burnings of houses that we could hear and see, citizens came at my brother Aloys’ house as it was the only place they could trust for their safety, we welcomed more than a hundred of Tutsi, who all survived,” Mukankubna said.

The trust without doubt, a strong wall

Mukankubana said that her family was trusted by the neighbors as they used to share and interact as one family.

“Our neighbors loved us and, my family was fully against of any injustice, we used to share milk with them and we couldn’t feel any attempt of betrayal between us,” she said.

She added that they decided to make a wall/barrier to stop Interahamwe from entering their village, Giheka as they could exterminate them.

“The wall was not made of trees or stones, rather it was a strong line of my brothers and other brave citizens who brought an idea to stand between the roads Kabuye, Gasanze and Kagugu in order to oversee the killers and push them back at all cost,” Mukankubana said.

Seeking information from betrayers

Mukankubana says that one young man called Ngendahayo used to run quickly and reach the place nicknamed [kwa Kagoyire] at Kagoyire’s place, the front view of Gasanze cell, where refugees from Nyacyonga used to take a rest; and could immediately come back to tell them about the killers.

By then, according to Mukankubana, around the date of April 11, 1994, Interahamwe led by Nsabimana and Ntiyamira came at their place and afterwards rushed to tell their fellow killers stationed at Kabuye that [nothing was done] at Giheka, to mean that no Tutsi was killed.

Surviving the attackers

Mukankubana says the leaders of the two Interahamwe attackers and major betrayers reported to their killer mates that no Tutsi died at Giheka, but fortunately, they were tired and went away with only meat of cows they killed over the day.

“They spent a day killing cows and confiscating properties of Tutsi, they arrived at our place late at night with machetes but were tired, carrying the meat. We heard them saying: “Ezechiel family are hiding Tutsi…” but the brave young man Ngendahayo had already given them information that the paramilitary is coming,” she said.

“We immediately told our people to go in the rooms, others inside the big hole we made during clays making, others under the bed. Interahamwe told me that they would come the next day to exterminate them when they are informed that there are some people hiding there, the good news is that none of our people was killed that night, the same night, Inkotanyi arrived and rescued us,” Mukankubana said.

Some citizens need a sign of history at Giheka

Some of the residents of Giheka village say there is a need for written history of Giheka, which must be established, preserved and serves as an education material of such an history to the young generation.

However, Giheka history should not be registered as unique as it reflects with Burende in Kinyinya and there is no need to register it according to Callixte Kalinda, the official in charge of protection of the benefits of Genocide survivors in Kinyinya sector.

Kalinda encourages Rwandans to remember the victims of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi by reflecting on the worst things people did without forgetting the best and brave work others did.

“In this regard, I wished that this history should be told, written and communicated to various entities and worth it, it should be taught in schools; unless some people did wrong, there are others who did the best,” Kalinda said, calling up on Rwandans to avoid genocide ideology and to have uniqueness and bravery to protect each other as Giheka residents did during such tragic moments.

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