Statement by Ruzibiza Joshua Venuste Abdul

31 Pages·2012·3.75 MB·English

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STATEMENT BY RUZIBIZA JOSHUA VENUSTE ABDUL
RUZIBIZ.~
Birken¢svei~162
4647B rennfisen
P__S:S Nahisemgou tangfof otyoa njyne’ ahnod ik ugiranigboy om vuga
bidafatnwkaa t ractc,y angw~b~e nshbia tibazkao bivugwfaf abantu
batoragurkwua m uhandnak ukoP erezidKaa gamey abitangaij e~ ruxeJles+
RUZIBIZA J. ABDUL
Birkenesvei6e2n
4647B rermasen
NORGE
PS:I haved ecidetdo makem y photograph
andm y whereabouktnso wns o thatw hatI saym ayn otb e considered
to bea pamphloertt o makes uret hatI amn otv ieweads a mant ellinsgt oriepsi ckeudp
fromt hes treeats P resideKnatg ame
declarreedc entilnyB russels.
STATEMENT ADRESSED TO THE PRESS
WhenI heardo f the investigatioonn the downingo f the aircrafcta rrymgP resident
JuvenalH abyarimanaan d his colleagufer omB urundit ogethewri th9 otherp ersonso f
threed ifferennta tionalitieRsw:a nda,B urundia nd Franceb,e aringi n mindt hatt hat
planew as a civiliaani rcrafftl ymgo vera territoriyn a non combats ituationt;h e
internatiopnraels s,i nternationraald iosa ndt elevislownesr eq uickt o reportt hatn ews
Becauses ome of those joumalistsk new where I was, they asked me to confirm
whethewrh atw as beingr eporteidm plicatimnyg namei s true.I confirmetdh ati t was
thet ruth.
NeverthelesIs n,o ticet hatt he reportsg ett ransformeadn d maniputatdeedp endinogn
who and how theya re written.I haved ecidedt o makem y own statemenitn steado f
leavinogt hersr eportw hatI haven ots aid.R egardintgh ei nvestigatitohnast h aveb een
conductedI, w isht o say thatI don’tw orkf or thej udiciaryI. w asi nterviewaendd I
gaves tatementosn whatI knowO thersi temsh aveb eend ealtw ithb y otherso n what
theyh avet he knowledgoef . If haved aredt o speak,i t is becausmey colleaguehsa ve
no possibilittoy speakb ecauset heyf eart o be executebdy Kagamea s he has always
done,i t wouldn otb et hef irstr imeh e doess o.
I have chosent o speak becauseI want to testifyo n the genocide,w hich has
perpetrataegda instth e Tutsist,e stifoyn them assacretsh atw erep erpetrataegda inst
the Hutud uringt he war the RPF/APRw ageda nd in whichI was an activem ember.I
wisht o informa s manyR wandansa s possiblea nd alsot he internationcaolm munity
must know what happenedi n Rwandab ecauseu ntil today,w hateveri s known,i s
knownt he way the RPF wanti t to be knowna nd the way it releasetsh e information.
Whilew e areb usyp reparintgo remembeoru r relativewsh op erisheidn theg enocidei,t
is importantth att het ruthb e known,a fter1 0 yearsd uringw hichK agamec allsh imself
the savioro f the Tutsisw heni n facth e is the one who madet heire xtermination
possiblaen df orbidu s to savet hemw heni t wasp ossiblaen d we werec apabloef doing
SO.
In additiotno thiss tatementt,h erei s a testimonayd dressetdo whoeverw ishest o
knoww hatw as goingo n behindt he RPF combatl ines,i wantt o makes uret hatt he
truthi s shownt o ail Rwandanwsh o haveb eenm adeh ostageo fthel ie thatg enocide
bas beens toppedb y a certainm an[ Kagame]t;h eym ustb e givent he wholet ruth.I t
willa llowR wandantso envisagree conciliation.
Thanky ou.
ABDUL RUZIBIZA
(Signed)
dated1 4-03-2004
2
TESTIMONY INTENDED TO SHOW HOW THE RWANDA GOVERNMENT
AND THE RPF MADE SEXES OF MISTAKES WHICH MADE GENOCIDE
POSSIBLE.
DID THE RPF/APR COME TO THE RESCUE OF THE TUTSIS AS IT IS SAID?
Afterp ublicatioonf the investigatirveep orto n the shootindgo wno f the civilian
aircrafcta rryin1g1 passengerasm ongw homw erei mportanpto liticalle adersa nd high
rankingm ilitaryo fficerso f Rwandan,B urundimaln d Frenchn ationalitieasm;o ng
them TWO HEADS OF STATE, Juvenal Habyanmana of Rwanda and Cyprien
Ntaryamiroaf Burundi,t he pressm ade extensivec ommentsa nd I don’tk now how
theyg ott hatd etailerde port.
As far as I am concernedI, a m goingt o givea testimonoyn theo perationosf theR PF
andi tsm ilitarwyi ng,t heR PAb ecausIe livedi n botho f themb eforeg olngi ntoe xile.
Ther easonb ehindm y initiativies thata ftert hen ewsr eachetdh ep ress,m anipulation,
transformatiaonnd spicingl ed to makings tatementasn d editorialssu itedt o the
journalistosw’n t asteu singt ermsa ndw ordsI haven everu sed;a llt hisg lvesa pretext
to thosew ho wisht o denyt he trutho n whath appenetdo doit.
I WILL PRESENT MYSELF FIRST/WHO AM I ?
My namei s RUZIBIZAI, was baptizedw henI was a baby and namedV enuste.W henI
3oinedt he RPF,I tookt he nameo f ABDULa s my coden ameI kepti t untilt he timeI
wasr ecruiteidn the militarwyi ngo f theR PFi n 1990.T her ealr easonf ort hati s that
when we were joinmgt he RPF tramingc amps,w e were being handedo ver by RPF
memberst o other RPF membersu ntil we reachedt he INKOTANYIz one. At each
statiowne reachedo,n e usedt o findt hath isc oden amew asa treadyt here.W hent hey
askedy ou yourn amea nd you gavea named ifferenftr omw hatt her egistereodn e,t hey
killedy ou immediatelbyy smashinygo urh eadw itha n old hoe.Y ou werec onsidered
as an infiltrator-sipnyt ot he RPF systemL ater,I decidedt o joint he "’saved
Christian%s I choset o be namedJ oshuat he dayo f my newb aptism.I- c arrya llt hose
names;! don’td enya nyo f them.A llt he timeI spenti n them ilitaryI, w ask nowna s
RUZIBIZAA BDUL.I fled the countryd uringt he nighto f ther 3d to 4th of February
2001.I hadt her anko f Lieutenanmty; r egistratinounm beri s O~~1 ~20.
I was borni n Gitagata,K anzenzCeo mmunei n BugeseraI. am of the Tutsie thnic
group,o f the Abanyigincylaa n,t he houseo f AbahindirMoy. înotheirs alsoa Tutsi
)
of theA batsobeB.o thm y parentasr e Tutsisa ndI am an orphan.M y parentsa nd all
my 6 brothersa nd sistersp erishedd uringt he genocideo f 1994.W hatI say and
consistentlsya y again,I say it m my capacitays a soldiera nd one of thosew ho
madeu p the RPF family,o ne of the soldierso f the RPA who livedi n the combat
zonesa ndI testifays a Tutsi.M y maino bjectivies to allowt hosew how illb avet he
chanceo f readingt hiss tatementto knowt he nakedt rutho n someo f thea spectso f
the longv oyaget he RPF startedb ut wheni t was aboutt o liberatteh e countryi,t
committead m istakteh atl edt o genocide.
THERE ARE THINGS I BELIEVE IN WITHOUT ANY DOUBT:
1. I believteh att hew ar againsHta byarimawnaas necessarb7e caushee hadr efusead
numbero f righttso somec itizenmsa inlyt hoseo f Tutsio riginI. alsob elievteh ato ther
ways couldh aveb een triedb eforet akingu p guns. However,t herew as no other
possiblseo urceo f weaponsi f we had not takent hemf romt he NRA,b ecausei t was
the onlyc ountryw hosea rmyw as preparetdo helpu s; no one knowsh ow political
powerc hange,w e had to act quickly.T he relationshibpe tweenR wandansa nd the
indigenouwsi thint he Ugandana rmyw as oflenc haracterizbeyd contempatg ainstt he
RwandansT.h isw as frustratiinng a countrtyh eyh adf oughtf or.I t is one of the main
reasonsw hy it becamen ecessartyo quitt he Ugandans oilw ithoutw aitingf or the
conclusioonf then egotiatiownhsi chc ouldl asty earsa ndc outde xceed5 years
2. I believet hatt herew as genocidei,l was donea gainstt he Tutsis,i t had been
intendeadn dp lanedb y theh igha uthoritioefs t hec ountrayn dt hes ecuritsye rviceosf
thel and.I t was implementbeyd Hutus.A few Tutsisw ho hadc hangetdh eiri dentittyo
become" Hutus"d id executet he killingIs believea lsot hatg enocidceo uldn ot have
beenp ossiblwei thouta n eventt o sparki t off.b ecausee,v enu ndert he influencoef
madness,t he Hutusc ouldn ot justd ecidet o get up one mominga nd sharpent heir
machetetso c uto fft heh eadso ft heT utsiusn tilt heyk illo nem illionI. a lsob elievteh at
the RPF usedi ts army,t he RPA,t o kill,i ntentionalalnyd by ordera nd undert he
supervisioofn theirl eader,P aulK agameI. alsob elievteh att he genocidhea s beena
resulto f a complicatecdo mbinatioonf problemsw hichw ereg eneratedb y the war
particularltyh e behaviouro f the RPA in the zonesi t occupied.I will explain
extensivellayt er.
3. I believea nd I testiftyh att heR PA killedp eopleo f all ethnicg roupsa s I will
demonstratIet.s aim was to provokea chaost hroughw hichi l woulds eizep owere ven
ift h at meantp rovokimnags sk illings.
4 I don’tb elievaet all thatt heR PFa ndi ts armyt heR PAt o whichI belongesdt opped
or endedt he genocidel, simplya dmitt hatw e oustedt he governmenalr my,t he FAR,
the interahamwea nd the lmpuzamugamboif the CDR with the youth workingw ith
themT husw hent he governmenlto stt he forcesw hichs upporteidt , we tookc ontrolo f
thec ountrvH.e rea lsoI witle xplain;
5. I alsob elievteh ata i1t he massg ravesd id notc ontaiTnu tsic orpseosn ly.I know
placesw heret heI nkotanykii lledm assivelayn dc ollectetdh e corpseasn db uriedt hem
in commong ravesm ixingT utsic orpsewsi tho therc orpsesA.l l thoseh aveb eens aidt o
be massg raveso f theT utsis.
r,I ~1~nb e!ievteh ati fthReP Fh adh adt hew ill&,e !,,~~ ,.,u,n,o~, , ,,,. .....~. . ...; -~-¯
~J
believet hat even if the governmenta nd the interahamwhea d had a begmningo f
genocidet,h e RPA had the capacittyo stopi t and insteado f havingo ne milliono f
victims,t herec ouldh aveb eenn ot moret han one hundredt housandv ictims.T his
meanst hatt heR PAw as forbiddetno intervenaen clt o rescuew hilei t hadt hem eanst o
dos o.I willd emonstraitte.
7. i alsoc onfirtmh ata ftert heR PFs eizedc ontrOo1f thec ountryi,t sm aina ctivities
beingm assacreo f civiliansm,a ss arrestsa nd wagingw ar in Zaire,t he current
governmencta nnota dministear f airj usticeb ecausaem ongt hejudgetsh erea re people
who committedc rimeso r who were directedf o committ hem by one man who rules
alone,t hati s PaulK agame.
8. I wholeh eartedlcyo nfirmt hatw hath asb eens aida boutt heo rdersg ivenb y Paul
Kagamet o shootd ownH abyarimana’psl anei s true.I am not the onlyo ne to bave
givent het estimoniceosv erintgh ise vent,I couldn otc overt he wholee vent,I could
notb e in allp lacesa nds eee veryt hing.T her ealitiys thatt estimoniweesr eg ivenb y
differepneto ples;o meo f thema rei ne xile,o therasr es tilli n thec ountryA.s fara s I
am concernedI, h aveb eena blet o speako penlyt o the pressa nd internationraald ios
and televisionbse causeI am in a safe place.E verybodkyn owst hate ven without
speakinagg ainstth e" Afande["K agame]t,h es implef acto f indicatintgh aty oui ntend
to testifayg ainsth iml eadst o yourd eathb eforey ou area blet o talk.I nternational
justicea nd otherp eopleh avingt he necessarlye galp owera nd who may confirmt hat
thatc riminaalc to f downintgh e planew as carrieodu t,h avea basist o chargeK agame
witht he responsibiliotfy h avingd onei t or havingg iveno rderst o sootd ownt he
plane.L etu s giver ime,t hoset o thosew ho accuseh im andt o thosew ho defendh im to
meeti n a courto f law.F orm y part,I indicatteh el imitso f my testimonoyt;h ersw ill
shedm orel ight.
9. I confirmt hatt he peopleo f Rwandah aveb eenr uledt hese1 0 yearsb y a savage
militardyi ctatorshiwph;e ren obodyt rustsa nybodeyl se;w heren o oned aress peakt he
trutho r glveh iso pinioonn whatg oeso n in thec ountryw;h eren o onel s freet o speak
aboutt he roleo f theR PF in thew ar we usedt o calla liberatiowna r.I f manyp eople
could understandh ow that war was led, they would have the possibilityo f
understanditnhgeo rigino f manyp roblemst;h en,t her evealetdr uthc ouldb e a basisf or
reconciliation.
10.I confirwmh oleh eartedltyh atw hati s generalltyo ldo n radioa ndt elevisiboyn the
leaderosf t hec ountrsya yintgh ato urs toryi s untruet;h ata ilt hisi s manipulatbiyo tnb e
Frenchg overnmenIt ;w antt o confirmt hata ll thisi s the worko f thosew ho wantt o
confusteh e peopleb ecausteh eya re afraidt o sayt he trutho n theird eeds.P resident
Kagames aidt hatt hoser umorsb eingp ickedu p herea nd therea nd beinga ssembled
don’th avea ny importanceF.o r me, I don’ts ee it thatw ay,a nd beforel ongh e will
discovetrh ath e is deceivihnigm selfU.n fortunatehliys,m isconceptihoanvse r esulteidn
masse xtermination.
THE CREATION OF THE RPF AND ITS MILITARY WING THE RPA.
I willn ote xtenmdy testimontyo theh istoricfaalc tsI; willo nlys ayt hatt heR PFi s a
conglomeratioofn s malla ssociatioonfs R wandarne fugeefsr omd ifferencto untriesI.
willm ainlys peako f the youth,a dolescentosf about1 5 yearso ld.T heyc amef rom
schoolsi n BurundiT,a nzaniaZ,a irea nd Uganda.T heya re the onesw ho becamet he
RwmqdaP atfiotiAcr my.T he firstc ontingenwta sr ecruiteidn tt~t heN ,~_a,( ïNationoe
ResistanAcrer ny)[ Uganda]T_h eo thersc amea ftert hew arh ads tartedW.h ati s essential
to knowi s thatw e, the youngo nes,w e had leamtt hato ur elders( whoh ad led the
resistanicne thes ixties)t,h eI NYENZIc,o uldh aver uades trategiecr i-orasn dd idn ot
achievteh eiro bjectivet,h ev ictoryW.h ent heR PFs tartedw,e werec onvincetdh att he
youthh adt o playt hee ssentiraoll e,m eanintgh ati t woutdb e actiobny thea rmyb ecause
therew asn o otherp rograomr agendao thert hanf ightinfgo r theirc ountryI.n brief,
peopleh ad psychologicailnltye rnaliztehde ideat hats olutionwso uldo nlyb e reached
througmhi litarayc tioann dt hatt hem ilitarhya dt o taket hel eadinrgo le.I ti s ther eason
whyt hem ilitarlye aderK,a gamew,a sc onsideretdo be morei mportantth ant hep olitical
Presideonft theR PF.
Form v part,I considererdi ghtf romt heb eginnintgh att hisw asa mistakbee causiet s
negativceo nsequencaerse s tilla reaB(Fa nd peoplek eept hinkintgh att he military
prevailosv ert hep oliticiaTnh.e c ountriys undert hed ictatorsohfi pt hem tlitaravn di ts
intelligesnecrev ices.
On theq uestiownh yt heR PF,i n spiteo f thet actt hati t hadj ustb eenc reatedd,i dn ot
wait a littlet o see if the negotiationbse tweent he Ugandag ovemmenta nd the
govemmenotf Rwandao n thep robleomf the refugeewso uldf ails o thati t couldh avea
pretextto invadetoh eries a na nswetro that.
PresidenMtu sevemw as morea nd morea ccusedo f havingt umedt he Ugandaa rmym to
a Rwandano ne becausei t had a goodn umbero f highr ankingo fficersE.x ampleso f
thosew he weref inger-pointaesd R wandansw,h ethert heya greedo r didn’t,w erem any:
MajorG eneralF redG isaR wigemaM,a jorG eneralM ugishaM untu,C olonelM ateekaL,t
ColonelA damW asswa,M ajorC hrisB ayinganaM,a jorP eterB ayinganaM,a jorS amuel
Kanyemeraal iaK aka,M ajorP aulK agame,M ajorN duguteyeM.a jorK aleK ayihuraw as
fromB ufumbir(as outh-wesotf Uganda)b ut he was counteda s a RwandanT.h erew ere
manyo thersw ho werei n lowerr ankso f Captainsa nd Lieutenantlsi ke:T wahirwa
Ludoviko,M usitu,K arangwaB ombi,G ashumba,C yiiza,B agire,N goga,M uhire,
KaddafiN,y amurangwMau,s anaB,i gabir.o. ..i fonet riedt o listt hemu p,t hel istc ouldb e
longa ndm anyo fthemw ereC oso r highert hatt hat.
Whatu sedt o hurtt he Ugandanmso rew as the factt hey[ Rwandansh]a d takena ll the
strategipco sitionisn the intelligencaer,m yf inancesp,r esidentigaula rdsR,w igema’s
guardst;h eo thersw ereO peratioCno mmanderIsn.d igenousso ldierwse rej ealouasn d it
startetdo infectt hes ocialc limateT.h osew hoc hoset o startt hew aro n 10ctobe1r9 90
thoughtth att heyh adn oo thero ptiont;h eyd ecidetdo launcthh ei nvasioant a nyc ost.
October1 990
Manyp eopled on’tb elievteh atR wandandse sertetdh eU gandaa rmy.B utx t is a reality,
indeedt heyd esertedT.h atd oesn ot meant hatt he Presidenwta s not informebdy his
intelligensceer vicesC.o nsideritnhge wayt he militarwya so rganizedt,h ep ersonw ho
receiveadi t the communicatiotnos P residenMtu sevenbie forei t reachedh im was a
Rwandaann dt he guardiaonf ail secreti nformati»ovna sa lsoa RwandanT.h ef irsta nd
thes econdd ayo f the invasiont,h en umbero f soldierwsh oc rossetdh e borders lightly
exceede3d. 000.N o one coulds tops ucha numbero f soldierwsh o hadd ecidedt o cross
ïheb orderp articularwlhye nm anyU gandanwse reh appyt o seet hemg oinga wayl eaving
theipro stfsr eef ort hen atives.
Errorsw erec ommitted:
Rwigemaw as killedi mmediatelayf tert he invasiosnt arte&h e was lalledb y hw own
soldiersT.h ep ersonwsh oc onspireadn d organizehdi s assassinatidoind h ot daret ake
overt hec ommanodf thea rmyb ecausteh eyw antedt o dissipatseu spicionosf conspiracy
againsth im in ordert o taket he commando f the army.H e had planedh is military
campaigna;t the timeo f his death,h e was theo nlyp ersonw ho knewh owt hatw ar was
supposetdo be conducted.
WhenK agamew ass entb y Museventio headt heR PA,t he soldiertso ldh imt hatt heyd id
notw anth im;h e wasn ickname"dP ilato"M.a jorD r PeterB ayingantao ldh im:
"Youa rep hysicallayn d mentalluyn fit,h owc any ou leadp eople"?. He toldh imt o go
backa nd tellw hoevehra d senth im thatK agamew as incapablaen d couldn ot leadt he
soldiersB.a yinganaad dedt hatK agameh ad to tellw hoeverh ad senth im thati f he
despisetdh eo fficerwsh ow ereo n theb attlef ield,i t wouldb e betterf orh imt o senda
Ugandan officer to lead the RPA. When he came~ation as the__Chieï-
militaryl eader,P aulK agamec amew itha convoyo f moret han1 0 armedj eepsw ith
MajorG eneraSla liraS aleha nds oldierosf theP PU (Musevenip’rse sidentigaula rd)a nd
thatd ay,D r Baymganaan dB unyenyezwie rek itled.
6
Fromt hatd ay on," AïandeK"a games tartead longj oumeyt,h e longj ournehye is still
on todayi:t hasb eenc haracteribzye rdu thlesasn dd ictatoriraull eb ecaushee h asa lways
knownt hatt hem eni n uniforumn derh isl eadershdiop notl ikeh im
Thish as had verys ad and negativceo nsequencebse causet he armvh as beenl ed by a
manw ho doesn’ttr usth iss oldiersH.e checkse veryt hingi n minuted etailsh;e divided
the armyi ntor ivalu nits;a ll the soldierbse camep racticalslpyi es;t he entirea rmy
worksi n a climatoef terrorw;h oevetrr iest o raiseh is voicem eetsi nevitabldee ath
througthh es mashinogf his headw itha n oldh oe,t he samew avi t is donew henp orki s
kileld .
Witht hes trategoyf dividintgh ea rmyf ora n easyc ontrolh,e classifitehde s oldierass
positiv1e, positiv2e, positiv3e, positiv4e a ndp ositiv5e. Positiv1e m eantt hosew ho
camef romU ganda,m en who weret obet rusteda t any timea nd anywhereP.o sitive2
meantt hosef romT anzania3, weref romB urundi4, fromZ airea nd 5 weref romR wanda,
Thoseo riginatifnrgo mR wandae,v enw hent hevw ereT utsisc,o uldb e trusteodn lya fter
two years.T he Army Commandf ollowedt he same pattem.9 5% of the army leaders
(officersw)e ref romU ganda.T he explanatiogni venw as thatt heyh ad experiencaen d
werec apabloef conducticnogm batsI. d on’tf inda nyt ruthi n thiss tatemenitt; w asj usta
pretext.
The mostd isappointtmhgi ngw as thatn o mistakeh,o wevesrm all,c ommittebdy boysa nd
girlsf romf rancophocnoeu ntriecso uldb e pardonedT.h erew aso nlvo ne sanctiond:e ath
by theo ldh oeo r beings tabbewdi tha bayoneutn tild eath.I f youw eres uspectteod have
committaendo ffencei;f youw eret ireda ftera longw alk;i f ",’ous ufferefdr omd iarrhoea
due to poor feeding,y ou were vieweda s a persont hath as only knowne asy life
(bourgeoisa) p,e rsonu sedt o softl ife:a n orderw asg ivent o kitly oub ecausyeo uw ere
considerteod b e ofn o use.Y ouc ouldg ety ourl egss hotf irsa nd,i fyouc ouldn otw alka ny
more,a n orderw as givent o finishy ou off.T he frequencoyf thisk indo f treatment
diminishesdo mewhawth enK agamew entt o BurundiT.h ere,R PF memberst oldh im that
heh adt os topk illintgh eirc hildrewni tht heo ldh oesl ikep orkH.e wast oldt hati f hed id
notn eedt hem,h e hadt o sendt hemb ackh omes o thatt heym ayg o backt o schoolT.h en
therew as a truce.W hent heo thers oldiermsa dem istakess,o longa s theyh adc omef rom
Ugandaan dw ereg oodf ighterwse,r eg ivenl ights anctiofnosr h ugem istakets_;h .eey~ onld
beg ivens hortp risosne ntencaensd t heng ob ackt o work,
Backt o the beginninogf theo ctober1 990w ar.G eneralF redR wigemah ad preferetdo
attackp assingt hrought he KageraN ationapla rka nd the Mutarar egionb ecauset here
residev eryf ew inhabitantHse. preferretdh isp ointo f ent~e vent hought herew ere
difficultioefs w atera ndf oods upplyH.e thoughitt was morea dvantageobuesc aushee
woulds tayt herea ndh aves ufficienrti met o sensitisteh ei nhabitanttos t hec auseso f
theR PF war.R wigemaw antedt o avoidt he losso f lireso f innocencti vilianwsh enh e
coulda voidi t. Kagamew as thingsd ifferentlyi:n the Mutarar egion,f oods upply
wouldb e a realp roblem;t herea re no mountainfso r hiddingh eavyw eaponsa nd in
fiatr egionsa,l lt ypeso f weaponcsa nh urto r killp eopleh;e preferetdo go through
highm ountainisn ordert o minimizec asualitiesW.i th the exceptiono f volcanic
mountainsa,l l the mountainwse red enselyp opulateadn d the populatiowna s in its
majoritHyu tua nd Kigaw ho werer eputedf or theird islikeo f the Inkotanybie cause
theys uspectetdh att heyw antedt o bringb ackt he monarchayn d feudalismT.u tsis
suffferrehdi ghyc asualfiiens thev olcanimco untainsH.u ngerc,o ldw eatherd,y sentery
madet heml oose,d uringt he firstr ivem onths,a t least1 0 men in eachu nit.F or
Kagame,a il thath ad no ImportanceF.i e had decidedt hath e willf orceh ïs men to
obeyb y threatenïntgo shoott hem.T hosea re the wordsh e usedt o tellt he soldiers
whenevehre visitemdi l~taruyn its.
LET ME SPLIT THE WAR INTO CHAPTERS.
ChapterO NE: fromN ovember1 990 to Julv1 991
Thisp eriodw asm arkedb y theg uerrillwaa rfarien smallu nitss cattereodv era large
territorwyi tht he aireo f scatterintgh eg ovemmenfto rceso vera larges urfacaer ea
andm akings uret hatw heret heI nkotanywii lla ttackt,h eyw illf indw eakr esistance.
Fors trategpiucr poseist, i s goodb uti t wasd onew ithw ickedneasnsd e xtremsea vagerays
I amg oingt o describiet t akinmgt oa ccountth ec onfiguratoifot nh en ortherrne gion.
Guerrillaa ttacksi n the regionso f Muvumba,K iyombe,N kana,R ushaki,K aniga-
Gatuna,a nd all surroundianrge asw ered onew ithe xtremev iolencaen d savagery:
[] assembling the population in one place and killing them without
discriminatiWoonm ena nd youngg irlsw erer apeda nd killedt hereafter.
¯ seizinagn dl ootingt heirh erds,s laughteritnhge ma nde atingt hem eatw ithout
oey formo f compensation
lootinogf cropisn the fielda ndf oodr eservefsr omt heh omes
[] makingt he populatiofnl eet heirh omesa nd makingt hems tarvew heret hey
soughtr efuge
¯ destroyintgh e houseso f the residentasn d takinga wayw hateverc ouldb e
takena nds oldi n Ugandas ucha s lrons heetsd,o orsa nd window.s. ..
[] destroyinhgo usesa nd makings uret he populatiowni I1n ol attemptto corne
back;
TowardsC yumba,K ivuye,B utaro,N kumba,K inigi,M ukingoa nd the surroundinagr eas,
youh ad the sameb ehaviouars whatI haved escribeadb ovef or the Mutarar egion.T he
mosti mportantth ingt o understanid s thato ne man,K agame,p lannedt he conducto f
the war; plannedw hat was to be done and he supervisedv ery closelyt he daily
activitiiens sucha wayt hatn o onec anp retentdh att herew asa singlea cti n thew ar
operationsw hich could be done withouth is planning.H abyarlmana’asr my had
fortifieidt s defenceasn d it was extreme!dyi fficultto passb y. ! tan givea few
examples:
In the Mutara., places such as NYAGATARE,R WEMPASHA,K ANGOMA, MABARE,
MUTOJO, B USHARA, KAB UGA, NYABIHARA,G IKAGATI, KARAA4A .....
were
conslderedda ngeroubsy everyI nkotanyi.
In the centralz one: GATONDE,K ANIGA 1, KANIGA2 , MUKONO,K IVUYE:w e all
knewt hato neh adt ob e cautioubse forvee nturitnhge re.
In Ruhengeri,t he most fortifiedp laces were: NYAMICUCU,B UTARO-RUNABA,
RWABUTAMA, KINYABABA, KU MUREMURE, KAGANO, BISATE and Ruhengeri
andK inigiW.h atI wantt o showi s thate veryt imew e triedt o attackt hosep lacesw,e
wered efeateadn d had to run away.W e endedu p makingt he localp opulatiopna y for
ourd isgracTeh.e sea ret het asksw e usedt o forcet hemt od o foru s:
[] To carryo urw oundeda nd deads oldier
To forcet hemc arryt he cattlea nd the foodr eservwee had lootedf romt heir
homes,
¯ Maket hemd ig theirg raves
8
¯ Forcet hemt o killo nea notheurn tilt hel astw how ast o be killedb y oneo f our
soldiers;
¯ Wheni t was not donci n thatm anner,t heira rmsa d legsw eret ieda nd their
headsw eres mashedw itho ld hoes;t heyw outda lsob e stabbedw ithb ayonets
int her ibst illd eatohc curred.
¯ Therew erea lwaysp retexttso torturet hems ucha s askingt hemM RNDs ecrets
or tot ellw hatm ilitarpyl answ eree nvisagaegdm nstth eI nkotan.y.i. .......
Aflera ll this,w e returnetdo our positionisn Uganda.T he liesq f the INKOTANYI
startedf rom the verv beginnmg,t he RPF has never admittedt he crlmesi t has
committedW.e used to sweart hatt herew as no INKOTANYïo n Ugandas oil.W e kept
the sainet actice venw henw e invadedZ aire:w e haven evera dmittedt hatt he RPA
crossetdh eb ordeirn toZ aire.
ChapterT WO: from Julv 1991 to June 1992
Duringt hisp eriod,t he RPF triedt o occupys mallp ortionosf landa longt he border
betweenR wandaa nd Uganda.I n some places,w e succeededi,n othersw e failed.
Wherei t hasb eenp ossiblei,t wasd onca ftere xterminatioofn t hec iviliapno pulation;
tbe survivorhsa d to flee.T he authorifieosf the Habyarimanrae gimeg atheredt he
survwortso getheirn onep lacew heret heyw erev eryp oorlyf eda ndp oorlys heltere-d,./
If peoplew antt o knowt hec auseso f genocidet,h e~s houlds tarth ere.(1)
The RPFs tartetdh e strategoyf attackintgh e enemyf romb ehindh is lines.W e usedt o
cut him off froma il of his supplyl ines.T acficallyi,t .wasv eryg oodb ecauset he
INKOTANYIh ad a limitedq uantityo f war equipmentw;e forcedt he enemyt o move
towardosu r positionwsh eni n facti t shouldh aveb eent he otherw ayr ound.I t was an
offensive-defent.ascitvieci ;t w asn otp ossiblteo u set hec lassicwaatr t actibce causteh e
enemy was superiori n men and ammunition.B ut this tactic had disastrous
consequences:
1. Attackintgh e enemyf romb ehindh is defencel inesm eante nteringt he heavily
populatedz ones.T he RPF had no confidencei n those inhabitantst;h ey would
denouncoeu t presencteo the governmenfto rcesa nd in tutu,t he governmenfto rces
wouïdc omet o attacku s withg oodk nowiedgoef ourp osifio_n~_-s~ -dt hes ,_zeo f our
~J
force.T hism eantt hata nyo fthesien habitanwthso t riedt o locateo urp ositionhsa dt o
) die becausew e had no safep lacew heret o keeph im and we did not knowh ow long
we wereg oingt o stayi n the area;a s a ruleo f thumb,e achr imew e attackedb y
passingb ehmd enemy line, wl~ WERE GIVEN THE INSTRUCTIONTSO KILL ALL TI-IE
INItABITANTS WITItOUT MERCY.
2. Attackinpgl acesf ar awayf romo ur regularp laceo f campingm eantt hatw ithout
any suppliesw,e had to liveo n the locallya vailablfeo od.W e had to get it from
inhabitanthso’m es.W henw e foundi t in theirh omes,w e hadt o killt hema il;i f they
hadf ledb eforeo ura rrivalw,e destroyetdh eirh ousesa ndt ooka wayt heirf oodr eserve,
theirh erd:g oats,s heep,c hickena nd cows.I t camea timew hen we had abundant
quantitieosf meatt o thee xtentt hate achs oldiecro ulds laughtearn ya nimalh e wished
to eat:o nec ouldt akeo nlyt hep iecesh e desiretdo eats ucha s liver,k idneyl,e gso f
lamb. ...I n otheri nstancefso,r o nly2 0 soldiers2, c ows,1 0 chickeann d3 goatsw ould
be slaughteredY.o u couldn oticet hatt he slaughterinogf domestiacn imaisw as not
dictatebdy necessitbyu t by wickednessA.n yonew ho knowst he degreeo f povertyi n
Rwandanf amiliesw,i llw onderh ow an ordinarpyo orp easanto f the villagew,h o had
had no knowledgoef the RPF was goingt o reactw hent he RPF cornesa nd killsa ll his
childrenr,a pesh is wifea ndd aughterasn dt akesa wayh is totalp ossessiotnh,e p roduct
ofh isl ifew orka nds avingdse,s troyhsi sb ous.e. ......
If one wantst o knowt hec auseso f genocideo,n es houids tarth ere( 2).
3. Locala dministratorcso,u nsellorsb,u rgomasterasn d armyo fficerrse sortedt o
advisintgh e populatiotno raised ogsa nd youc ouldf indd ogsi n all familiebse cause
theyc ould,a t night,d etectR PF movementwsh ilet he RPF was stillf ar.T he dogs
wouldb arki n timet o warna boutt he impedinga rnvalo f the INKOTANYIa,n d the
populatiohna d timet o flee.T hisi s a strategyw,h ichs ervedt o extermmatteh e
populatiionn regtonwse invadedT:h ep opulatiowna sa lsot hev ictimo f thiss trategy.
Becausew e had goneb ehindg overnmenfto rcesl ines,w e wereb ehindt he population.
Whent heys tartedf leeingi n the dark,t heyg enerallfye lIi ntoo ur traps.N o one
escapedt,h eyw erea ll killeda nd we accusedt hemo f beingo ur enemlesw;e accused
themo f fleeintgo joint he MRND.
AtthougIh havew rittetnh isf acti n thisc hapterl,e t me underlinteh atw henevetrh e
INKOTANYIw ent behind the lines of governmentt roops, they started by
exterminataiinlgt hel ocalp opulation.
)
4. Ai allt imes,t heR PFh asp rivileggeude rrillmae thodss:e ttinugp oftrapss,h ooting
busest ransportitnhge populatioinn the areasn eart he Ugandab order,p lacingl and
minese verywherien cludinign plantatiofni eldss ucha s potatof ieldsh opingt hatw hen
thep easantwsi llc ornet o harvespto tatoewsi llw alko n minesa nd loosel egs,i n case
deathd oesn oto ccur.T hisp racticies extremelsya d.T hec iviliapno pulatiohna sb een
forcedt o fleel eavingt heirf oodb ehind.T heyw eren ot allowedt o harvestm aize,
beans;t heyu sedt o liveo n the producto f bananap lantationtsh,e yh ad cassavaa nd
potatof ields,t heyw eren ot atlowedt o go backt o collectt he produceT.h eyh ad
vegetabliens theirf ieldss,o meo f themu sedt o comeb ackt iket hievetso collecfto od
fromt heiro wn plantationOst.h erst riedt o comeb ackt o collectt he clothinlge ft
behind.T heR PF troopsh adb eeni nstructetdo shoota t themw ithouhte sitationW.h at
elsed id you expectf roma populatiocno ndemnetdo starvatiownh ilet heyh ad grown
food? Wasg enocidheo tt he logicaaln swer?
~rtf«, y. ~,.r,.tv.,v ~.»t.,ri¯.e,, ".t ,,.,« »,.,, .«~.~...~.wrr.hI’t ,~eg enocidwea sa blet ot akep lacet~r vt ol ooki ntot his.( 3)
4. Refugeec ampso r the campsf or the war-displacepde oplew ere in well-known
locations:
Rukomo-Rwebare( MUVUMBA):I was an eyewimess;m any times this camp was
subjectetdo shellinwgi thh eavyw eaponsl ike1 20mmm ortar.T he campso f Rukaraa nd
Mutagomwwae res helledw ithL RM 107mm( MultiplReo cketsp ropeller)K,a tiusha
Murangiraan d somet imesb y Kyakabalea, Ugandana rmyc ommandewrh oset roopsw ere
stationeadc rosst he border;h e usedt o lendh elpt o the INKOTANYwIi thh is 23mm,
37mrn,1 4,5mmg uns.T hesew eaponwse reu sedt o tireo n the displacepde rsonsc’a mps.
Manyt imesw e werep uzzledw;e couldn otu nderstanwdh ato ur leaderwse rea fter.M any
of ust houghtth att heR PFh adi mposead l oto fs ufferintgos t hec iviliapno pulatiotnh;e y
didn ot deservteo bes hellewdi ths uchh eavyw eaponryT.h atc ampa nds omeo thersl ike
RunabaN,k umbaa ndM uhambwoe reu sedt o experimenatn ti-aircramfits silesW.e usedt o
tirei llummatimnigs sileosv ert hed isplacepde rsonsc’a mps.T hisa llowetdh osew how ere
traminagt usingh and-carrmiiesds iletso d o practicVee.r yo ftent,h em issileesx plodeidn
them iddleo f thec amps,k illmgo r maimmgm anyi nnocencti vilianTsh.i sp racticeea used
10