May 19, 1994 marked the 43rd day of the 100 days of the Genocide against the Tutsi, during which the genocidal regime continued its systematic campaign of extermination across different parts of Rwanda.
In Mushubi, present-day Nyamagabe District, more than 500 women and children were killed at Mushubi Health Center. Their bodies were later dumped into a pit latrine, in one of the area’s most tragic mass killings.
The victims had spent over a month in hiding after the genocide began. Following the events of April 8, 1994, many Tutsi initially sought refuge at Muko Commune offices, while others fled to Kaduha Parish in search of safety.
Those unable to reach Kaduha continued to move toward Mushubi from different sectors of Muko Commune and neighboring areas of Musebeya Commune, as the commune offices were located near the boundary of the two administrative units.
On April 19, 1994, an attack led by a notorious perpetrator known as Rukokoma targeted the area. However, no killings were carried out at the commune at that time after local resistance prevented the handover of those in hiding.
It is reported that during this period, local administrative figures, including Burgomaster Kayihura Albert, Musonera (then Director of Primary Schools), and others, held a meeting and resolved to first target men and boys, while women and children would be killed later.
Following this decision, men and boys were loaded onto three vehicles under the pretext that they were being transferred to Kaduha Parish due to insecurity in Mushubi. About three kilometers away in Gashwati, they were ambushed and killed using traditional weapons. Only one survivor is reported.
Women and children who remained at the commune endured extremely harsh conditions, with reports indicating that women were subjected to sexual violence during this period.
On May 19, 1994, another coordinated attack was carried out under the leadership of Munyarihamye Pascal, then Responsible for Mushubi Sector Administration. The attackers gathered approximately 500 women and children and took them to Mushubi Health Center, where they were killed and their bodies disposed of in a pit latrine.
The victims killed on May 19 and 20, 1994, were later buried at the Mushubi Genocide Memorial Site, where more than 14,000 victims are laid to rest.
A commemorative marker has also been placed at Mushubi Health Center, where flowers are laid annually during commemoration periods in remembrance of the victims.
