Caring for Victims of Rwanda’s Tragedy

RWANDA, located in the heart of Africa, has been called “the Switzerland of Africa.” The lush greenery seen by people when flying over the country has given them the impression of a garden of Eden. No wonder they used to describe Rwanda as a paradise.

At one time, for every tree cut down, two were planted. One day a year was dedicated to reforestation. Fruit trees were planted along the roads. Travel around the country was free and easy. The main roads that connected the different prefectures to the capital, Kigali, were asphalt. The capital was mushrooming. The average worker made enough to make ends meet at the end of the month.

The Christian activity of Jehovah’s Witnesses was also prospering in Rwanda. Earlier this year over 2,600 Witnesses were engaged in carrying the good news of God’s Kingdom to the country’s predominantly Catholic population of about eight million. (Matthew 24:14) In March the Witnesses were conducting more than 10,000 Bible studies in the homes of the people. And there were 15 congregations in and around Kigali.

A traveling overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses noted: “In November 1992, I was serving 18 congregations. But by March 1994, these had increased to 27. The number of pioneers (full-​time ministers) was also increasing each year.” On Saturday, March 26, 1994, the attendance at the Memorial of Christ’s death was 9,834.

Then, overnight, the situation changed tragically in Rwanda.a

Sudden End to Established Order

On April 6, 1994, about 8:00 p.m., the presidents of Rwanda and Burundi, both of whom were Hutu, were killed in an airplane crash in Kigali. That night police whistles could be heard everywhere in the capital, and the roads were blocked. Then during the early morning hours, soldiers and men armed with machetes started killing people who were Tutsi. Ntabana Eugène​—the city overseer of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kigali—​his wife, his son, and his daughter were among the first massacred.

A European family of Jehovah’s Witnesses had studied the Bible with several neighbors who were Tutsi. Nine of these neighbors took refuge in the home of the Europeans as crazed killers went from house to house. Within minutes, some 40 looters were in the house, smashing things and overturning furniture. Sadly, the Tutsi neighbors were killed. However, the others, despite their efforts to save their friends, were allowed to escape with their lives.

The slaughter went on for weeks. Eventually an estimated 500,000 or more Rwandans were killed. Thousands fled for their lives, particularly Tutsi. The Zaire branch office of Jehovah’s Witnesses made known to the brothers in France their need for relief supplies. “We asked for one container of used clothing,” the Zaire branch explains. “The brothers in France have sent us five containers of mostly new clothing and shoes.” On June 11, some 65 tons of clothes were sent. The Kenya branch also sent the refugees clothes and medicines, as well as Watchtower magazines in their local language.

By July the Tutsi-​dominated forces, called the Rwandan Patriotic Front, had defeated the Hutu-​dominated government forces. After that, Hutu began fleeing the country by the hundreds of thousands. Chaos resulted as two million or more Rwandans sought refuge in hastily established camps in neighboring countries.

They Tried to Help One Another

Two of the six who worked in the Translation Office of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Kigali were Tutsi​—Ananie Mbanda and Mukagisagara Denise. The efforts of the Hutu brothers to protect them were successful for a few weeks. Toward the end of May 1994, though, these two Tutsi Witnesses were killed.

At the risk, and even sacrifice, of their own lives, Jehovah’s Witnesses sought to protect fellow Christians of a different ethnic background. (John 13:34, 35; 15:13) For example, Mukabalisa Chantal is a Tutsi. When Rwandan Patriotic Front members were searching for Hutu in the stadium where she was staying, she intervened in behalf of her Hutu friends. Although the rebels were annoyed by her efforts, one exclaimed: “You Jehovah’s Witnesses really do have a solid brotherhood. Your religion is the best there is!”

Keeping Free From Ethnic Hatred

That is not to say that Jehovah’s Witnesses are totally immune to the ethnic hatreds that have existed for hundreds of years in this area of Africa. A Witness from France who was sharing in relief work noted: “Even our Christian brothers must put forth great effort to avoid being contaminated by the hatred, which has contributed to massacres that are impossible to describe.

“We met brothers who saw their families massacred before their eyes. For example, a Christian sister had been married just two days when her husband was killed. Some Witnesses saw their children and parents killed. One sister, who is now in Uganda, saw her whole family slaughtered, including her husband. This simply highlights the suffering, both emotional and physical, that has touched each family of Jehovah’s Witnesses.”

Altogether, about 400 Witnesses were killed in the ethnic violence. Yet none of these died at the hands of fellow Witnesses. Tutsi and Hutu members of Roman Catholic and Protestant churches, however, slaughtered thousands. As is well documented, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide take no part whatsoever in the wars, revolutions, or other such conflicts of this world.​—John 17:14, 16; 18:36; Revelation 12:9.

Suffering Beyond Description

This past summer, people around the world were exposed to visual images of almost unbelievable human suffering. Hundreds of thousands of Rwandan refugees were seen streaming into neighboring countries and existing there under the most unsanitary conditions. One of Jehovah’s Witnesses on a relief mission from France described the situation his delegation saw on July 30 as follows.

“We were confronted with scenes of absolute horror. Mile after mile, bodies lined the road. Communal graves were filled with thousands of corpses. The stench as we went through the seething mass of people was unbearable, with children playing next to dead bodies. There were corpses of parents whose children were still alive and were clinging to their backs. Such scenes, reproduced over and over again, leave a deep impression. A person is overwhelmed by a feeling of complete helplessness, and he cannot remain unmoved by the extent of the horror and desolation.”

When refugees by the tens of thousands were streaming into Zaire in mid-​July, Witnesses in Zaire went to the border and held up their Bible publications so that their Christian brothers and interested ones could identify them. The refugee Witnesses from Rwanda were then gathered together and taken to the Kingdom Hall in nearby Goma, where they were provided care. Witnesses with medical experience worked hard to lessen the distress of the sick, despite the absence of adequate medicines and proper facilities.

Quick Response to Suffering

On Friday, July 22, Jehovah’s Witnesses in France received a faxed SOS from Africa. It described the dire plight of their Christian brothers fleeing Rwanda. Within five or ten minutes of receiving the memo, the brothers decided to load a cargo plane with relief supplies. This led to a weekend of intense preparation, which was all the more remarkable in view of their total lack of experience in mounting such a huge relief effort on short notice.

There was tremendous response to the need for relief funds. Witnesses in Belgium, France, and Switzerland alone contributed over $1,600,000. Relief materials were obtained, including food, medicine, and survival equipment, and everything was boxed and labeled at the facilities of Jehovah’s Witnesses in Louviers, France, and in Brussels, Belgium. Witnesses worked day and night to get the shipment ready for delivery to Ostend, Belgium. At the airport there, on Wednesday, July 27, over 35 tons was loaded onto a cargo jet. The following day a smaller shipment, mainly of medical supplies, was sent. On Saturday, two days later, another flight carried more medical supplies for the victims.

Witnesses from France, including a medical doctor, went to Goma ahead of the large shipment. On Monday, July 25, when Dr. Henri Tallet arrived in Goma, about 20 Witnesses had already died of cholera, and others were dying daily. Because the shipment had to be delivered by way of Bujumbura, Burundi, some 150 miles [250 km] away, it didn’t arrive in Goma until Friday morning, July 29.

Coping With Disease

In the meantime, on the plot of land where the small Kingdom Hall in Goma was located, some 1,600 Witnesses and their friends were packed together. For all these people, there was one toilet, no water, and very little food. The dozens infected with cholera crammed into the Kingdom Hall. The death toll was escalating.

Cholera completely dehydrates a person. The eyes become glassy and then roll upward. If rehydration therapy is started in time, the person is back on his feet in two days. Efforts, therefore, were immediately made to rehydrate the brothers with the little medicine that was available.

In addition, brothers attempted to isolate the sick to prevent their contaminating others. They sought to transfer the refugees away from the terrible conditions in Goma. A suitable location was found near Lake Kivu, away from the dust and the smell of corpses that hung heavy in the air.

Toilets were dug, and strict rules of hygiene were imposed. These included washing one’s hands in a bowl of bleach and water after going to the toilet. The importance of these measures was stressed, and the people accepted what was required of them. Soon the deadly tide of disease was turned.

When the large shipment of relief supplies arrived on Friday, July 29, a little hospital was established at the Kingdom Hall in Goma. Some 60 camp beds were set up, as well as a water treatment system. In addition, tents were taken to the Witnesses located on the banks of Lake Kivu. In a short while, they had set up 50 tents in neat, orderly rows.

At one time about 150 Witnesses and their friends were seriously ill. By the first week in August, over 40 of them had died in Goma. But medical supplies and assistance arrived in time to save many lives and to stop a great deal of suffering.

A Grateful, Spiritual People

The Witness refugees showed extreme gratitude for all that was done for them. They were touched by the love shown by their Christian brothers in other countries and by the clear evidence that they truly belong to an international brotherhood.

Despite their hardships, the refugees have maintained their spirituality. In fact, one observer noted that “they seem more concerned to receive spiritual food than material help, although they are in dire need of everything.” Upon request, 5,000 copies of the Bible study aid You Can Live Forever in Paradise on Earth in the Rwandan language of Kinyarwanda were shipped to the various refugee camps.b

The refugees considered a Bible text each day, and they organized congregation meetings. Arrangements were also made to conduct school classes for the children. Teachers took advantage of these classes to give instruction on rules of hygiene, emphasizing that survival depended on observing them.

Ongoing Care Needed

Hundreds of Witness refugees were located in other places besides Goma, such as Rutshuru. Similar aid was provided these brothers. On July 31, a Witness delegation of seven flew south from Goma to Bukavu, where there were some 450 Witness refugees. Many of these were also from Burundi. Cholera had broken out there, and assistance was provided in an attempt to prevent any deaths among the brothers.

The following day the delegation traveled nearly 90 miles [150 km] by road to Uvira, Zaire, where along the way there were about 1,600 Witnesses in some seven locations from both Rwanda and Burundi. Instruction was provided on how they could protect themselves from disease. A report based on the findings of the delegation said: “What has been done thus far is just a beginning, and the 4,700 persons that are now receiving our assistance will need further help for many months.”

Hundreds of Witnesses reportedly returned to Rwanda by August. Yet practically all homes and belongings had been pillaged. So the challenge exists of reconstructing homes and Kingdom Halls.

God’s servants continue to pray fervently in behalf of those who have suffered so terribly in Rwanda. We know that as the end of this system of things draws closer, violence may increase. However, Jehovah’s Witnesses worldwide will continue to maintain their Christian neutrality and to show their genuine compassion.

[Footnotes]

[Map on page 12]

(For fully formatted text, see publication)

RWANDA

Kigali

UGANDA

ZAIRE

Rutshuru

Goma

Lake Kivu

Bukavu

Uvira

BURUNDI

Bujumbura

[Pictures on page 15]

Left: Ntabana Eugène and his family were massacred. Right: Mukagisagara Denise, a Tutsi, was killed, despite efforts by Hutu brothers to save her

[Pictures on page 16, 17]

Top: Caring for the sick at the Kingdom Hall in Goma. Bottom left: Over 35 tons of relief supplies prepared by Witnesses and sent by cargo jet. Below: Near Lake Kivu, where Witnesses were moved. Bottom right: Rwandan refugees at a Kingdom Hall in Zaire