On this day in 1994, the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF-Inkotanyi) began evacuating survivors from areas under its control, relocating rescued civilians to safer zones in Byumba and Gahini, away from active conflict zones.
However, in the former Butare Prefecture, some of the worst atrocities of the Genocide against the Tutsi were unfolding. Between April 24 and 25, 1994, Tutsis who had sought refuge in Ruhashya Commune were attacked and killed by Interahamwe militias arriving from Gikongoro, with support from groups operating in Maraba and Rusatira. Those who attempted to escape were later killed at ISAR Isonga on April 28, 1994.
Historical accounts indicate that more than 30,000 Tutsis were massacred on Kabuye Hill, near Ndora Commune in present-day Huye District—one of the most devastating mass killings in the area.
During the same period, Gendarmerie units led by Colonel Aloys Simba reportedly shot and killed fleeing civilians at the Mwogo River crossing in what is now Rwaniro Sector, as victims attempted to reach safer areas in Gikongoro.
Mass killings were also reported on Taba Hill in Mwendo, as well as at Byiza Stadium in Mbazi, where Tutsis who had sought refuge were systematically attacked.
In a separate incident, Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) documented killings at Butare University Hospital, where approximately 170 patients were reportedly murdered by elements of the Presidential Guard.
Further atrocities were recorded at Mukabande (Nyarubera site) in present-day Huye District, where civilians sheltering in the area were also killed between April 24 and 25.
Elsewhere, Tutsis on Mahembe Hill in Byimana Sector, Ruhango District, were killed by Gendarmerie and Police forces, while those who had taken refuge at an ADEPR church in Nyakarekare, Mbuye Sector, were also massacred.
Additional victims were reported at Kivugiza Primary School in Nyamirambo, where civilians had sought refuge.
These events form part of the wider and systematic violence that characterized the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, which claimed over one million lives across Rwanda.
