May 8, 1994 marked the 32nd day of the 100-day genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, as mass killings continued across the country under the genocidal regime.
During this period, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (FPR) stated that its central objective was to stop the genocide and restore peace and security nationwide. In a communication to Radio France Internationale (RFI), the movement reiterated that its mission was to halt the killings and bring stability to the country.
At the same time, international concern over the escalating atrocities continued to grow. John Shattuck, then U.S. Assistant Secretary of State for Human Rights, called for a comprehensive United Nations investigation to establish responsibility for the massacres taking place in Rwanda.
On the ground, violence persisted in several regions. In the former Gikongoro Prefecture, 82 students were killed at Groupe Scolaire Marie Merci in Kibeho and in the Munini sub-prefecture.
Reports from the same period also indicate attacks on vulnerable civilians, including Tutsi children in institutional care. At the SOS orphanage in Gikongoro, children and staff of Tutsi origin were killed during the night, underscoring the widespread and systematic nature of the violence.
The events of May 8 reflect both the continued escalation of the genocide and the growing international attention, alongside the FPR’s declared military objective of ending the killings and restoring order in Rwanda.
