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Name: Gigi
The genocide in our area began immediately after Habyarimana's
death. We left home for Rubungo and there we found many
other Tutsis who had run for their lives. We were a
mixture of Hutus and Tutsis because noone knew what
was going on. On the 7th April 1994, we were attacked
by a group of presidential guards and militia who told
all the Hutus to leave. We escaped to the Pentecostal
church in Kimironko but there every body was asked to
hand over all the money they had on them. All the men
were taken and that was the last time I saw my father.
We ran away but were stopped on our way by the militia
who had started raping ladies.
We went back to our home. Our mother put us in our
bedroom so that if we were to be raped, it would be
in the house and not in every body's presence but we
were thrown outside. While they concentrated on my mother
I ran to the sorghum plantation from where I watched
all the proceedings. My mother was told to dig her own
grave and stand in it to check if it was deep enough
but when she descended into the hole, she was hit on
the head with a hammer and covered with soil. My grand
mother and aunt were left in the bodies so that they
would die a slow death.
I stayed in the plantations with my sisters and brothers
and I gave them rain water to drink while the older
ones fed on raw potatoes that we got from people's gardens.
We went to one of the neighbour's homes and found the
ladies who had become the militia's wives. They allowed
me to hide there but not my young sisters who had to
return home. I was told to choose a man if I wanted
to stay in that home but one of the children had mercy
on me and took me away and hid me. My sisters returned
because our house keeper had told them that they had
to take me to him to be his wife if they wanted to stay
safely in our home.
We headed towards Gitarama in the night and I told
whoever stopped me that I was a soldier's wife. My mother's
old friend took us in but before long we were hunted
by the militia who took my young sisters. I ran off
with the youngest. One of my sisters was told to come
looking for me if she was to be pardoned. The two of
us with our youngest sister decided to come to Kigali
since as there was trouble everywhere. It was hard passing
by the roadblocks but I maintained my lie that I was
a soldier's wife and we got to the Sainte-Famille Church.
By the time the Hutus learnt of our presence, RPF soldiers
had started rescuing people and taking them to Byumba.
After the war, we found the rest of the children who
had survived and returned to our home in Kimironko.
I left school and am looking after all the children
because they are young. The two who would be old enough
to help me care for the very young ones are handicapped
and can not do much. I work as a casual labourer in
homes and gardens and that is how we survive.
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