Survivors of Rwandan Genocide testify at Paris trial over 1994 massacres

Gunfire rang out as men armed with machetes and clubs stormed a convent in Rwanda, where civilians had sought refuge during the 1994 genocide. The attackers killed almost all the boys and men they found. Angélique Uwamahoro, then just 13 years old, survived by walking through the bodies of the dead.

Three decades later, Uwamahoro has shared her story in a Paris courtroom. She testified at the trial of former Rwandan doctor Eugène Rwamucyo, who is accused of participating in the genocide that claimed more than 800,000 lives, mostly from the Tutsi minority. Rwamucyo, now 65, faces charges of genocide, complicity, crimes against humanity, and conspiracy to commit those crimes. He denies all allegations.

Uwamahoro lost several family members in the violence and said she came to court to “seek justice for my people, who died because of who they were.” The trial, which began earlier this month, is expected to conclude next week. If convicted, Rwamucyo could face life imprisonment.

According to prosecutors, Rwamucyo played a key role in spreading anti-Tutsi propaganda and supervising the mass burials of victims. Witnesses traveled to Paris from Rwanda to testify, providing graphic accounts of the atrocities that took place in the Butare region, where Rwamucyo was allegedly present.

On Monday, another survivor, Immaculée Mukampunga, described the brutal attacks on Tutsi civilians who had sought shelter at a seminary. “They attacked us using the same method: first the machete on top of the head, then the throat, then the ankles,” she said. Mukampunga, who was hiding with her two young children, covered them with bodies to protect them. “I put blood on myself and on my children so they would think we were dead,” she testified.

Antoine Ndorimana, another witness, was 9 years old when the genocide began. He recounted how his family was hiding in a church when they were discovered. “Those with machetes and clubs started hitting people. Some slit their ankles, others their throats,” Ndorimana said. He was struck by a club but remained still, pretending to be dead. The next day, he witnessed men placing both bodies and wounded people into mass graves. Ndorimana narrowly avoided being buried alive.

Rwamucyo has denied the accusations, claiming that his role in mass grave burials was purely motivated by hygiene concerns and rejecting claims that survivors were buried alive.

This trial is the seventh in a series of prosecutions in France related to the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Since 2014, French courts have convicted several Rwandan nationals for their roles in the genocide, which saw extremist Hutu militias massacre Tutsis and moderate Hutus over a period of 100 days.

In December, another former Rwandan doctor, Sosthene Munyemana, was found guilty of genocide and crimes against humanity. He was sentenced to 24 years in prison but has appealed the ruling.

The ongoing trials are part of France’s effort to address the role played by some Rwandan nationals who fled to Europe after the genocide. Although many of the accused have denied involvement, prosecutors argue that individuals like Rwamucyo were instrumental in inciting violence and ensuring the systematic elimination of Tutsis.

During the genocide, Rwanda’s Hutu-led government and its militias targeted the Tutsi population in a campaign of mass violence that shocked the world. Despite warnings from international observers, the international community largely failed to intervene, allowing the killings to continue unchecked.

More than 800,000 people were killed during the genocide, most of them Tutsis, along with moderate Hutus who tried to protect them. Many survivors, like Uwamahoro, continue to seek justice for the horrors they endured. In her testimony, Uwamahoro said she hoped that the trial would bring accountability and closure.