{"id":122044,"date":"2026-04-15T14:44:26","date_gmt":"2026-04-15T14:44:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi"},"modified":"2026-04-15T15:19:48","modified_gmt":"2026-04-15T15:19:48","slug":"massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi","title":{"rendered":"Massacres at Ruhengeri Appeals Court Lake Muhazi"},"content":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>On April 15, 1994, killings of Tutsi continued across several parts of Rwanda, especially targeting those who had gathered in places they believed would offer protection.<\/p>\n

At Ruhengeri Court of Appeal, more than 400 Tutsi who had sought refuge were killed. They had been assured of protection by local authorities, including Sous-prefect Dismas Nzanana, who promised they would be helped to flee to DR Congo. Instead, attackers who were brought in with the involvement of the authorities carried out the massacre.<\/p>\n

According to records from the Ministry of National Unity and Civic Engagement (MINUBUMWE), the victims were killed with extreme brutality. These included infants.<\/p>\n

More killings in Nyarugenge, Kigali<\/b><\/p>\n

In Kigali, killings continued at roadblocks, including one on Nyamirambo hill near Mount Kigali. Hassan Rubayiza, an Interahamwe leader at this roadblock, was later convicted by Gacaca courts and sentenced to life imprisonment.<\/p>\n

Massacres at Nyarubuye Catholic Parish, Kirehe<\/b><\/p>\n

At Nyarubuye Catholic Parish, Tutsi from surrounding communes sought refuge. On April 14, they resisted initial attacks. The following day, a combined force of the police, soldiers, and Interahamwe militiamen launched a larger assault and killed those at the parish.<\/p>\n

Research by Professor Paul Rutayisire and Privat Rutazibwa identified 742 perpetrators involved in the massacre.<\/p>\n

Muganza Catholic Parish, Nyaruguru<\/b><\/p>\n

Thousands of Tutsi displaced from their homes gathered at Muganza Catholic Parish. By April 11, about 11,000 people were sheltering there. On April 15, attackers supported by government soldiers stormed the parish and killed those inside.<\/p>\n

Lake Muhazi, Rwamagana<\/b><\/p>\n

Between April 15 and 16, Tutsi who had taken refuge at Muhazi Commune offices attempted to defend themselves using firearms obtained from the building. They briefly repelled attackers and fled toward Lake Muhazi, hoping to cross to safety.<\/p>\n

On the way, they encountered government soldiers and ran out of ammunition. Some reached the lake and boarded small boats, but many were captured near Kavumu and thrown into the lake by pursuing attackers.<\/p>\n

For More News And Analysis About Rwanda<\/span> Follow Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Africa-Press – Rwanda. On April 15, 1994, killings of Tutsi continued across several parts of Rwanda, especially targeting those who had gathered in places they believed would offer protection. At Ruhengeri Court of Appeal, more than 400 Tutsi who had sought refuge were killed. They had been assured of protection by local authorities, including Sous-prefect […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":122043,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,30,14],"tags":[758],"class_list":["post-122044","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-community","category-policy","tag-rwanda"],"yoast_head":"\nMassacres at Ruhengeri Appeals Court Lake Muhazi - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"On April 15, 1994, killings of Tutsi continued across several parts of Rwanda, especially targeting those who had gather ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Massacres at Ruhengeri Appeals Court Lake Muhazi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On April 15, 1994, killings of Tutsi continued across several parts of Rwanda, especially targeting those who had gather ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T14:44:26+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-04-15T15:19:48+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/04\/sm_1776253754.644138.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1280\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"720\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"2 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Massacres at Ruhengeri Appeals Court Lake Muhazi\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-04-15T14:44:26+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-04-15T15:19:48+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi\"},\"wordCount\":327,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/04\/sm_1776253754.644138.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"Rwanda\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Community\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/massacres-at-ruhengeri-appeals-court-lake-muhazi\",\"name\":\"Massacres at Ruhengeri Appeals Court Lake Muhazi - 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