In this Rwandan village, survivors and perpetrators of the genocide live side by side

It's been 30 years since the Rwandan genocide. In some places today, survivors live side-by-side with perpetrators in so-called reconciliation villages.NYAMATA, Rwanda — Rachel Mukantabana was a teenager when the devastating genocide in Rwanda unfolded.

This week, Rwanda marks the 30th anniversary of the genocide in which nearly one million people, most of them ethnic Tutsis, were killed.As many as a quarter million Rwandan civilians participated in the killings. Across the country, neighbors brutally attacked their neighbors with machetes, sticks and clubs.In those first days in the swamp in 1994, Mukantabana and her family were safe.

The Rwandan government, led by President Paul Kagame, has outlawed speech that draws distinctions between ethnic groups. National ID cards no longer identify ethnic groups. Laws ban so-called genocidal ideology.," which looks at a variety of factors to determine how people are living together. In 2020 — the last year for which data is available — the country deemed reconciliation in Rwanda to be at 94.7%.

"What I would ask them is, when they were killing people, inside themselves, did they feel human or animals?"We put this question to Didas Kayinamura when we met him at his home a short time later. Kayinamura said that he tried to kill the man twice, but ultimately, someone else delivered the killing blow.First person narratives about genocide are complex. Experts say there can be a tendency among perpetrators to minimize their role — sometimes in the hope of a shorter prison sentence, sometimes because the trauma of the genocide alters a perpetrator's memory.

"For me, the fact that I have children gives me the confidence to rebuild my life," she said."My children have allowed me to start over."Mukantabana's new life includes learning how to live in a community with people who 30 years ago could have wanted her dead.

United States Latest News, United States Headlines

Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.

Uniontown man charged for trying to hide his alleged involvement in Rwandan genocideA Uniontown man has been charged in Boston, Mass. federal court for a nearly three-decade scheme to hide his alleged involvement in the 1994 Rwandan genocide
Source: cleveland19news - 🏆 70. / 68 Read more »

Rwandan man in US charged with lying about his role during the 1994 genocideFederal authorities have charged a Rwandan man they accused of repeatedly lying about his involvement in murders and rapes amid the country’s 1994 genocide to win asylum and citizenship in the U.S. Authorities say Eric Nshimiye, of Ohio, was arrested Thursday on charges that include falsifying information, obstruction of justice and perjury.
Source: AP - 🏆 728. / 51 Read more »

Ohio man charged with lying about role in Rwandan genocideA Rwandan-born Ohio man was arrested on Thursday on charges he engaged in a scheme to conceal his involvement in the African nation’s 1994 genocide.
Source: NBCNewsHealth - 🏆 707. / 51 Read more »

Boston feds charge Rwandan man in U.S. with lying about his role during the 1994 genocideFederal authorities in Boston have charged a Rwandan man they accused of repeatedly lying about his involvement in murders and rapes amid the country’s 1994 genocide to win asylum and citizenship in the U.S.
Source: WBUR - 🏆 274. / 63 Read more »

Ohio man charged with lying about his role during the 1994 Rwandan genocideHARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) — Federal authorities have charged a Rwandan man who they accused of repeatedly lying about his involvement in murders and rapes during the
Source: fox28columbus - 🏆 249. / 63 Read more »

Uniontown man accused of concealing participation in Rwandan genocide for nearly 30 yearsIan Cross is the Digital Executive Producer at News 5 Cleveland.
Source: WEWS - 🏆 323. / 59 Read more »