May 20, 1994 marked the 44th day of the 100 days of the Genocide against the Tutsi, as the genocidal regime continued its systematic campaign to exterminate Tutsi across Rwanda.
On that day, about 470 women and children were massacred at Duwane in present-day Ruhango District after being lured into a resident’s house with false assurances of protection. Witness accounts indicate that the killers were transported to the area by Jean Damascène Rutiganda, then Burgomaster of Murama Commune.
Before targeting the women and girls, the perpetrators had already murdered men and boys.
The same day also witnessed another massacre at Gitwe, where Tutsi pastors from the Seventh-day Adventist Church and their families were killed after seeking refuge at the church headquarters.
The victims had fled to the church compound believing it would offer them safety because it served as the headquarters of their denomination. However, attacks by Interahamwe militia intensified from May 18, 1994, eventually leading to mass killings on May 20.
The Gitwe church headquarters had sheltered many Tutsi Adventists fleeing violence from several communes, including Masango, Tambwe and Ntongwe.
Accounts from survivors and historical records show that on May 19, 1994, a meeting bringing together Hutu pastors from different parts of the country was held at the Gitwe headquarters, just a day before the killings.
On May 20, Interahamwe militia reportedly took the victims to Nkomero, at a place known as Gitovu, where they were executed in an apparent effort to avoid carrying out the massacre within the church compound itself.
