1994 Rwandan genocide testimony by Vincent Niyonsaba

Vincent Niyonsaba, a boy from Rwesero Sector, Commune Masango in Gitarama Prefecture, was only 12 years when the 1994 Rwanda genocide started. He describes how his commune was attacked on April 17, 1994 and Tutsi homes were torched. He escaped to Butare where he reunited with his family and they continued their escape together. During a gang attack, Vincent escaped to a forest at Bienvenue in Gitwe. Together with other refugees, he decided to seek refuge in Gitarama town of Kabgayi, but later decided to go back to their home cellule (Buhanda). His cousin and paternal uncle were abducted downed in river Nyabarongo. Vincent and the other refugees were captured and to be executed, but a Good Samaritan convinced the gang to let them go. During his flight, some families took him in, but not everyone was receptive to Tutsi refugees. Some people refused him refuge because they didn't wanted him killed in their homes. As a result, he bounced from one home to another until deciding to go to his aunt's home. Eventually, APR Inkotanyi saved Vincent and one of his sisters, who were the only members of their family to survive the genocide.