Nyamata Genocide Memorial Site
The Nyamata Memorial Site lies inside the former Nyamata Catholic Church, in Bugesera district. In this district alone, only 2,000 of 62,000 Tutsis survived the wrath of the interahamwe.
On April 6, 1994, an airplane carrying the Tutsi president of Rwanda was shot down by the Hutu rebel-led Interhamwe. This event sparked fear in many Tutsis living in Rwanda, some of whom began to take extra precautions, such as sleeping in the bush outside their homes. On the morning of Monday, April 11, the Interahamwe Militia began attacking people in Nyamata town with blunt weapons. Amidst the general panic, the mayor offered no asylum, and many Tutsis congregated at the Nyamata Catholic Church, seeking refuge. The interahamwe showed no mercy, cutting down at least 10,000 people inside the church over the course of four days.
Today, the church houses the preserved bloody clothing of victims. Marks of grenade explosions have been left in the walls, and one can visit the bones of the victims in an underground crypt.