Kirundi


Moral Courage

Testimonies

Background

Tour Diary

Feedback

Testimonies
 
 
 
"When Melchior was killed in 1993, it is like people re-injured the scars that went on bleeding and people began to kill each other. They were very angry."
Pierre Nyambere and Patrice Ciza (Continued.)

Q: Why have more people not behaved like Pierre and saved others?
Patrice: There were some people with hearts filled with evil who were involved in the killings. But there were also some people who possessed the spirit of saving others. I can tell you that even today, there are the Tutsi who are still living on the other side of the Mugere river, in predominantly Hutu areas. There are Hutu there who are still protecting them.

Q: Do you know why has there been such hatred between the Hutu and the Tutsi that brought them to kill each other?
Pierre: The way I understand the situation, it is a long story. Since I was born I heard that there have been killings in 1966 and many Hutu died. In 1972, both Hutu and the Tutsi died. That situation has scarred the hearts of people. When President Melchior Ndadaye was killed in 1993, it caused these old scars to re-open and people began to kill each other. They were very angry. Where the Hutu found the Tutsi, they killed them and where the Tutsi saw the Hutu, they did so too.

Interview by Maziar Bahari
Translated by Tatien Nkeshimana
Edited by David Shem-Tov

 



© Burundi Voices Project, 2006.