Under Kagame’s iron-fisted rule, a malicious ideology took root, providing the backdrop for a series of brutal military policies orchestrated with the blessing of the West. These policies were specifically designed to suppress the Hutu majority, leading to the implementation of the “Songamana Military Operations.” These operations systematically targeted and eliminated Hutus across the country, particularly in the northern regions. In addition to the loss of lives, Hutu farmers’ fertile land would be seized and transformed into ranches and commercial tobacco plantations. Kagame and general Kayumba Nyamwasa justified these atrocities by portraying the Hutu rebels, who had taken up arms in self-defense against relentless Tutsi attacks against Hutu refugees in DR Congo and Rwanda, as the main threat to his new regime. Supported by influential figures like Bill Clinton and Tony Blair, Kagame believed he had the authority to carry out these heinous acts, and tragically, he did.

Our cherished family home, where I had grown up, now lay in ruins, razed to the ground by fire and bulldozer brought by the Tutsis to destroy everything my father had built. Another property still standing, previously owned by my family, was grabbed by a senior Tutsi officer. Many of my people were killed in meetings organized by General Nyamwasa, where Tutsi military called the populations for security gatherings and then opened fire, resulting in the massacre of hundreds of thousands of Hutus. Between 1996 and 2000, the region remained deserted until the idea of establishing a tobacco plantation zone called “Panda Tumbaku” emerged.

In our area, one of the Songamanas occurred on a Saturday, with many people at home or heading to the market in Ruhengeri city. Meanwhile, others who observed the Sabbath had gathered in churches such as Nyaruhanga SDA church, Tero SDA church, Nyakayira SDA church, Ruko SDA church, Nyarugina SDA church, and as far as Bisate SDA church. Those who worshiped on Sunday had congregated at Shingiro Catholic Church to prepare for the Sunday mass. Additionally, some were busy working on their farms when the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) unexpectedly gathered all the people from the region at our shopping center in 1998.

Over 200,000 people were crowded into this shopping center for what was meant to be a security meeting, but the true intention soon revealed itself. The Tutsi soldiers began shooting at the assembled crowd with various types of guns, leading to an appalling massacre. It was on this tragic day that I lost most members of my family, including my father and siblings.