Mu mwaka wa 1994, mu Rwanda habaye jenoside yakorewe Abatutsi. Iyo jenoside, ni yo ya mbere yabayeho mu mateka yakozwe mu gihe gito, kandi igahitana abantu benshi. Raporo yakozwe n’Umuryango w’Abibumbye igaragaza ko mu minsi 100 gusa, hapfuye abantu bari hagati ya 800.000 na 1.000.000. Abenshi mu bishwe ni Abatutsi, n’Abahutu banze kwifatanya n’abicanyi. Ibyo bigaragaza ko Abahamya ba Yehova bagera ku 2.500 bari mu Rwanda icyo gihe, bari bugarijwe n’akaga.

Iyo jenoside yahitanye Abahamya ba Yehova bagera kuri 400, kandi abenshi muri bo bari Abatutsi. Icyakora hari n’Abahamya b’Abahutu bishwe, kubera ko bumvaga badashobora kugirira nabi bagenzi babo, cyangwa ngo bemere ko bene wabo b’Abahamya bicwa.

Umuhamya witwa Rutaganira Charles, akaba ari Umututsi warokotse jenoside yabaye mu myaka 25 ishize, yibuka ukuntu umunsi umwe ari ku Cyumweru mu gitondo yari agiye kwicwa ariko akarokorwa n’Abahamya bagenzi be.

Icyo gihe, Interahamwe zigera kuri 30 zaraje zigota urugo rwe, maze yumva abuze aho arigitira. Yaravuze ati: “Abenshi muri bo twari duturanye, kandi tubanye neza.” Ariko muri icyo gitondo, igihe bazaga iwe, yabonye ko ibintu byahindutse. “Amaso yabo yari yabaye ibishirira kandi ubona bariye karungu. Bari bameze nk’inyamaswa zigiye guconcomera umuhigo.”

Izo Nterahamwe zagabye icyo gitero zitwaje imihoro, amacumu n’impiri. Nta kindi zamuzizaga uretse kuba yari Umututsi. Zaramukurubanye zimugeza mu muhanda, zimusiga aho ari intere. Igihe yari arimo avirirana kandi yataye ubwenge, haje agatsiko k’abantu bafite ibitiyo bashakaga kumuhamba. Umwe muri bo yabonye Rutaganira aramumenya, yibuka ko ari Umukristo w’umunyamahoro, maze arababaza ati: “Ubu se uyu Muhamya wa Yehova bamujijije iki koko?” Ariko nta n’umwe wigeze amusubiza. Ako kanya hahise hagwa imvura nyinshi, nuko bajya kugama.

Hari Umuhamya witwa Samuel Rwamakuba w’Umuhutu wari utuye hafi aho, wumvise ibyabaye kuri Rutaganira, maze yohereza umuhungu we muri iyo mvura, kugira ngo age kumuzana mu rugo iwe. Hari abandi Bahamya babiri b’Abahutu biyemeje guca mu nzira ziteje akaga, bamuzaniye imiti n’ibipfuko. Hanyuma za Nterahamwe zagarutse gushakisha Rutaganira. Igihe zamenyaga ko ari mu rugo rw’Umuhutu, uwari uzihagarariye yaravuze ati: “Tuzagaruka ejo mu gitondo tumurangize.”

Abahamya bose b’Abahutu bari bazi ko bashobora gupfa, bazira kugirira neza Abatutsi. Rutaganira yaravuze ati: “Iyo umuntu yabaga agomba kwicwa ukagerageza kumuhisha, amaherezo barakwicaga, na we bakamwica.”

Rwamakuba we yashoboraga guhunga, kandi agaca kuri za bariyeri zabaga ziriho Interahamwe zitwaje intwaro amanywa na nijoro. Ariko yanze gusiga uwo Muhamya mugenzi we w’Umututsi. Yaramubwiye ati: “Sinshobora kugusiga, aho uzagwa ni ho nzagwa.”

Bukeye bwaho haje igitero cy’abasirikare b’Inkotanyi, maze za Nterahamwe zirahunga.

Rutaganira amaze koroherwa, yagiye kureba abo bahoze bateranira hamwe kugira ngo ahumurize abapfushije ababo, abahuye n’ihungabana kubera ibikorwa by’iyicarubozo bakorewe cyangwa abafashwe ku ngufu. Yaravuze ati: “Jenoside ikirangira ibintu ntibyari byoroshye. Ariko Abahamya b’Abahutu n’Abatutsi barafashanyaga kandi bagahumurizanya. Bakoze uko bashoboye kose kugira ngo birinde uburyarya, ivangura n’amacakubiri.”

Muri icyo gihe cy’agahinda, Abahamya bo mu Rwanda bongeye gusubizaho gahunda y’amateraniro n’iyo kubwiriza. Babonaga abantu benshi bakeneye guhumurizwa. Hari abari barahungabanye bitewe n’uko ababo bapfuye urupfu rw’agashinyaguro. Abandi bo babuzwaga amahwemo n’umutimanama wabo wahoraga ubibutsa amahano bakoze. Abantu benshi bo mu Rwanda bumvaga baratereranywe n’abaturanyi babo, abategetsi n’abayobozi b’amadini basengeragamo. (Reba agasanduku gafite umutwe uvuga ngo: “ Amadini yijanditse muri jenoside yo mu Rwanda.”)

Nubwo byari bimeze bityo ariko, imyifatire myiza yaranze Abahamya muri icyo gihe yarigaragazaga. Hari umwarimu w’Umututsikazi wahishwe n’umuryango w’Abahamya batari baziranye, ari kumwe n’abana be batandatu. Yaravuze ati: “Sinabona uko nshimira Abahamya ba Yehova. . . . Si ge genyine wiboneye ko batigeze bivanga muri jenoside.”

Nyuma y’amahano ya jenoside, abantu batangiye kuza mu materaniro yaberaga mu Mazu y’Ubwami y’Abahamya ari benshi. Ugereranyije, Umuhamya umwe yigishaga Bibiliya abantu batatu. Raporo igaragaza uko Abahamya babwirije mu mwaka wa 1996, yerekana ko umubare wabo wiyongereyeho 60 ku ijana, kubera ko icyo gihe abantu benshi bari bakeneye kumva ubutumwa buhumuriza.

Nyuma y’imyaka 25 ishize jenoside ibaye, abantu benshi, cyanecyane abayirokotse barushaho gutekereza ku byabaye. Rutaganira n’abandi bayirokotse, na n’ubu bemera ko urukundo nk’urwa Kristo rushobora kunesha urwango rushingiye ku moko. Yaravuze ati: “Yesu yavuze ko abigishwa be bagombaga gukunda bagenzi babo kurusha uko bikunda. Kuba nkiriho, mbikesha urwo rukundo ruranga abagaragu ba Yehova.”—Yohana 15:13.