May 14, 1994 marked the 38th day of the 100-day Genocide against the Tutsi, as killings continued in different parts of Rwanda under the genocidal regime.
On that day, RPF-Inkotanyi forces captured Nyamata town, bringing an end to the Genocide against the Tutsi in Bugesera, one of the areas heavily affected by massacres and displacement during the 1994 genocide.
The liberation of Nyamata became a major turning point for many survivors who had spent weeks hiding from attacks carried out by Interahamwe militias and government soldiers.
As RPF-Inkotanyi troops advanced to rescue civilians and stop the killings, violence continued in other parts of the country.
In the former Musambira Commune, massacres intensified as Tutsi who had survived previous attacks and taken refuge at Musambira Health Centre and nearby commune offices were tracked down and killed.
On the same day, former Prime Minister Jean Kambanda visited the former National University of Rwanda in Butare, where he praised university leaders over their role during the violence targeting Tutsi.
The meeting had been organized by former Vice Rector Jean-Berchmas Nshimiyumuremyi. During the gathering, Kambanda reportedly called for the training of 100 young people in each sector of Ngoma Commune in the use of weapons.
He also encouraged lecturers and residents to learn how to use guns, saying they should be ready to defend themselves.
Kambanda further denied reports that massacres were taking place in Butare and Kibungo, claiming that residents were only defending themselves against attacks — a narrative widely used by the genocidal government to justify the killings of Tutsi.
The capture of Nyamata remains one of the key moments in the RPF-Inkotanyi liberation struggle that eventually stopped the Genocide against the Tutsi and rescued thousands of civilians across the country.
