Beatha Muteteri, a survivor of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Nyanza ya Kicukiro, has shared a chilling account of the atrocities she witnessed, including the killing of her mother and her own narrow escape after a machete attack.
She delivered the testimony during the 32nd commemoration of Tutsi killed at ETO Kicukiro, where thousands who had sought protection from UN peacekeepers under MINUAR were abandoned and later massacred.
Muteteri said that long before the genocide began, Tutsi in Kicukiro were subjected to sustained persecution, often living in fear and at times forced to spend nights in hiding.
Her family was among those targeted. Between 1990 and 1993, they faced repeated harassment, and her father was brutally attacked by Interahamwe militia, who broke his arm after accusing him of having a child who had joined the RPF Inkotanyi.
When the genocide erupted, thousands of Tutsi fled to ETO Kicukiro, hoping to find safety under the protection of UN peacekeepers. However, the troops later withdrew, leaving them exposed to Interahamwe militia and government forces that had been waiting to attack.
Muteteri recounted that after being forced out of ETO, the victims were taken to Sonatubes, where attackers openly discussed plans to kill them.
“They separated those identified as Hutu, telling them not to die with Tutsi,” she said.
Moments later, grenades were thrown into the crowd, triggering mass killings.
“I was with my mother when the grenades were thrown. One killed her instantly before my eyes,” she said. “I tried to flee but was struck with a machete. I fell and survived by hiding among the bodies.”
She said the attackers later returned to loot the dead, while some victims who were still alive begged to be killed, and children pleaded for mercy.
Muteteri said she was rescued days later when RPF Inkotanyi forces arrived and assured survivors of their safety.
“They told us not to fear, that we would not die,” she recalled.
She concluded by paying tribute to the Inkotanyi, led by President Paul Kagame, for stopping the genocide and saving lives.
