By SANDRINE UMUTONIWASE

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When the 1994 genocide against Tutsi started, I was nine years old, and in that special week of my birth day celebration which I share with my twin sister.

My name is Pascal Kibibi, born on April 4, 1985 in Butare. I now live in Bugesera district, Nyamata Sector.

I was rescued in the Kimironko sector. April 7, 1994, wasn’t a day like others because unusual changes had started occurring like prohibition of freedom of movement for my elder and younger siblings who attended school.

But on that day, it was publicly announced that no one is allowed to move out of their home. I remember it well; the weather was cloudy. My journey from that day up to the day the genocide ended is long and not easy to tell.

I was a family of 10 people including our two parents, though one of my siblings had travelled to visit relatives outside Kigali. Nearing 2pm, an armed group of men led by a soldier briefly knocked at our gate, and stormed in, for we could not stop them.

We never thought things would turn out as tragically as they did. We thought that they would merely beat us up, rob us and leave us safe. Unfortunately, they planned to annihilate us all. As some of the men emptied our house, others thoroughly beat up my parents and older siblings.

There was so much chaos which I still find hard to illustrate. One man in the Interahamwe troop, who used to assist us at home as a handyman, whenever we needed to slaughter a domestic animal for a meal, signalled me to flee so that I would not be killed.

I ducked and ran away from home with no bearing of where I was headed. On my way, I met many barriers as all houses were shuttered as no one could be seen or accused of walking around.

An hour or so later, I returned home to a horrifying spectacle of my entire family members killed except my twin sister (who was at our neighbour’s house) and an elder-sister who was still breathing.

She whispered to me: “Pascal go hide at our neighbour’s house, Mom said so” Of course I rushed there. Unfortunately, they could not welcome me because my twin was already hiding there.

They sent me to another neighbouring family of a soldier in XFAR who held the rank of major but was not around. His wife and children welcomed me. That is where I got rescued from Later I took off to Congo for a while and then to Tanzania, where I lived in refugee camps.

We came back to Rwanda in 1996 when the UNHCR searched for me from a call of my aunt who lived in Burundi and had returned to Rwanda and learnt that I was still alive. And from there I as given the right to come back home.

Emotional wreck I was lucky to not be hurt physically but I was an emotional wreckage and traumatised.

I would suffer nightmares but managed surmount that with the help of my aunt’s family who supported me as they treated me like any one of their other children. Being part of such family healed me emotionally and mentally and I resumed my studies with their help.

Actually, anything I had lacked during the genocide, they tried to fill. From there, I returned to lead a normal life filled with hope.

As I reflect to the entire journey walked 27 years on, I have achieved many things like completing secondary and university studies with the help of the government through FARG. Being part of church congregation contributed to my spiritual and emotional growth which helped me to stay focused and disciplined on my goals. Now, I am married with two children, with great hope and vision of accomplishing more.

I appreciate and suggest that the government keeps listening to genocide survivors, accompany us in the journey to restoration, and be there with emotional support to banish our trauma.