June 5, 1994 marked the 61st day of the 100-day genocide against the Tutsi and the 156th day of the year. By this time, the genocidal regime continued to implement its coordinated plan to eliminate the Tutsi population across different parts of the country.
On this date, meetings were held aimed at intensifying the ongoing killings as violence continued in several regions under government control.
The interim government also continued mobilizing and arming youth, providing military training intended to support operations targeting Tutsi civilians in different parts of the country.
Prime Minister Jean Kambanda chaired a meeting in Gisenyi that brought together senior military and gendarmerie officials. The meeting called for strengthened military measures and the acceleration of operations aimed at completing the extermination campaign.
Earlier the same day, a government meeting reportedly discussed plans to recruit approximately 1,500 foreign mercenaries to reinforce the Forces Armées Rwandaises (FAR).
In areas under the control of the interim authorities, mobilization efforts continued, with youth being encouraged to join militias and participate in killings. In Butare and Gikongoro prefectures, civilians were assembled and given military training, with more than 200 individuals reported to have taken part.
In a related incident, Hutu students at EAV Kabutare were killed after being identified as having Tutsi backgrounds. The school headmaster, Théophile Mbarushimana, reportedly compiled lists of students targeted based on ethnic identification.
These developments illustrate how the leadership at the time systematically organized, coordinated, and intensified the genocide against the Tutsi through directives, training, and the distribution of weapons used in mass killings.
