The survivors shared their views during a visit by a group of journalists who cover justice-related stories, under Pax Press.
Dr. Eugène Rwamucyo, a Rwandan living in France, was convicted of genocide crimes committed against the Tutsi. During the genocide, he worked as a the head of the former National University of Rwanda’s health facility, formerly known as CUSP.
Historical accounts from Butare and surrounding areas describe Rwamucyo as a key figure in atrocities that earned him the nickname “Dr. Caterpillar,” due to his alleged involvement in mass killings of Tutsi in former Gishamvu and Ngoma communes.
Witnesses say he supervised acts of brutality, including the disposal of victims in mass graves while some were still alive, in places such as Nyumba Catholic Parish, Nyakibanda Major Seminary, the university arboretum, behind the former Butare prefecture offices, at Taba, and at Matyazo health facility.
A survivor from Gishamvu Sector told IGIHE that perpetrators in the area had been trained to mutilate victims’ tendons to prevent escape and prolong suffering.
“The Interahamwe were taught to cut the tendons in people’s feet so that they could not run away, find food, and other things, so that they would die painfully. These are the people who were found at sites where victims had been attacked with grenades or shot. Then the machine [caterpillar] brought by Dr. Rwamucyo would dig mass graves, collect both the dead and those still breathing, and bury them together,” she said.
She added that she was troubled by Rwamucyo’s continued denial of the allegations, noting that survivors believe his original sentence was too lenient and that he should be imprisoned for life.
Another witness, who said he saw Dr. Rwamucyo at Matyazo health centre and at the former Butare prefecture during the genocide, testified that he was involved in mobilising Hutu extremists against Tutsi civilians.
He said he personally saw Rwamucyo at the prefecture referring to Tutsi refugees as “filth” and calling for their removal.
“He said, [Rwamucyo], ‘how will I do my work with this filth here,’ and his intention was actually to have them killed,” he said.
The witness also recounted seeing Rwamucyo ordering the burial of Tutsi victims at Matyazo, including those who were not yet dead, and encouraging perpetrators to rape Tutsi women, calling for a stronger sentence to ensure justice for survivors.
The President of Ibuka in Gishamvu Sector, Rutazigwa Gérard, said Rwamucyo inflicted deep suffering on residents, noting that many victims were buried in mass graves.
“Besides those who had parts of their bodies cut, there were also those who were hiding among corpses covered in blood but not yet killed. Due to hunger and suffering, they lost strength and were also thrown into mass graves and buried by the machine he brought,” he said.
In his defense, Dr. Rwamucyo has argued that, as a health and hygiene official at the time, the use of machinery to bury bodies was intended to prevent disease outbreaks and speed up public health response, denying that anyone was buried alive.
The Executive Secretary of Gishamvu Sector, Niyibizi Boniface, said informing survivors about genocide perpetrators and how their cases are being handled abroad helps bring them emotional relief.
“Survivors carry grief and pain, although they have not been overwhelmed by sorrow. When we look at the more than 60,000 remains resting at the Nyumba memorial, and consider that Gishamvu Sector has about 15,000 residents, it immediately shows the magnitude and brutality of the genocide,” he said.
He added that local authorities remain committed to preserving genocide history, including digitising records so that the truth is never forgotten.
Leave a Reply