On Wednesday, April 12, members of Rwanda Revenue Authority, the Auditor General’s office, and the National Electoral Commission, among other citizens including the youth, gathered to commemorate the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and narrate how discrimination and genocide ideology was spread in communities and schools post-Genocide.

During the discussions, the story of Silas Ntamfurayishyari, a former corporal in the Rwandan military (ex-FAR), was shared to inspire the youth to possess values like patriotism, impartiality, and humanity, among others. At the risk of paying the ultimate price with his own life, Ntamfurayishyari saved the lives of dozens of Tutsi while other ex-FAR soldiers were killing them—eventually getting them safely to Burundi.

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Born and raised in the former Ruhengeri prefecture—now Musanze District— in Northern Province, Ntamfurayishyari is currently Umurinzi w’igihango, (The unsung heroes) that is, any Rwandan citizen or foreigner who abode by Rwandan values such as patriotism, integrity, truth, humility, tolerance, impartiality, fairness, and who fights against segregation, genocide ideology, and denial.

The Wednesday commemoration was graced by the Chairperson of Rwanda Elders Advisory Forum, Tito Rutaremara, who urged the youth to learn from Ntamfurayishyari’s values that characterised Umurinzi w’igihango when he fought against discrimination and genocide ideology.

"In the area where I grew up, I always heard people saying ‘Tutsi are enemies’, but because I was young I always wondered who Tutsis were. I had dreams to become a priest and my father used to tell me to be friendly to everyone,” Ntamfurayishyari narrated at the gathering.

As a child, he said, he heard that Tutsis had fled to Uganda, "People plundered their properties after expelling them. We were told that the Tutsi were bad and wicked people. During my childhood, I remember people talking about a Tutsi called Thadee Munyagasozi in the area.

"Because my mother used to sell beer, this old man Munyagasozi used to drink from our bar. One day I watched him and realised he was an innocent man, and wondered why he was labelled bad,” Ntamfurayishyari said.

In 1982 when he was in Primary Six, he started witnessing how Tutsi were being treated and some, tortured.

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"Munyagasozi had a daughter called Epiphanie. she came to study Primary 8 at the same school. When she got to the school, classmates and teachers mistreated and tortured her even during recreation periods, and on her way to and from school. She ended up dropping out,” he recalled.

In 1987, Ntamfurayishyari needed an identity card from the commune (now sector) to be able to register for vocational and technical training.

"They asked me to mention my ethnic group. I used to hear my mother saying she is ‘Umusinga’ while my father used to say he is ‘Umuzigaba’ (clans). The authorities told me those were not ethnic groups. They asked me to tell them if I was Hutu or Tutsi. I chose to say that I am Tutsi as I didn’t know what it was,” he said.

In 1989, he wanted to join the Rwandan National Gendarmerie, currently called Rwanda National Police.

"I passed the exam, in fact, I was the first among four other front-runners. Then they rejected me after seeing that my identity card had Tutsi. They said the ID had some errors and I was replaced with someone who came in fifth,” he said.

Later, his father told him to go back to the commune and have his identity card changed to Hutu.

Joining ex-FAR

On April 1, 1990, when Ntamfurayishyari was 21 years old, he joined the military— then called Forces armées rwandaises (FAR)—after being rejected by Gendarmerie, and relocated to Bugesera in the Eastern Province.

In 1990, he was among the soldiers deployed at the Umutara prefecture on the frontline, but something was not right.

"The authorities used to tell us to take Tutsi as enemies and we were prevented from marrying Tutsi women. I remained in Umutara till 1992,” he said, recalling how they were being manipulated into hating Tutsis.

After leaving Umutara, he was redeployed to Gako Military Camp in Bugesera, where killings were in full swing even before the start of the Genocide.

"Tutsi were being persecuted in Bugesera and would seek refuge in church premises. Their houses were burnt. We were told to force the Tutsi out of the refuge. But I refused,” he said.

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Ntamfurayishyari recalled that one day when he was with fellow soldiers, they met a woman who happened to be a primary school teacher. Some men were attacking her and wanted to kill her because she was a Tutsi. Knowing well how bad this could end for him, Ntamfurayishyari chose to save the woman, sending the attackers into a rage and riot, and this prompted Ntamfurayishyari to fire his rifle in the air to disperse them.

"I remember that after shooting in the air I took the lady to refuge in Gahembe. I was always accused of supporting Inkotanyi. Ex-FAR soldiers were about to kill me but I survived,” he said.

At the time, Ntamfurayishyari was an ADEPR adherent. "While I strived to protect Tutsi, my colleagues who were Christians were killing them and plundering their property,” he said.

Together with a few other soldiers, they rescued some Tutsis in Rwanda and took them to Burundi, by foot through a forest stretching 20 kilometres, with the minimal supplies they had.

"When the Genocide started, together with my colleague Karemangingo, we discussed how we could save the Tutsi. We hid them before departure to Burundi in a forest during the night.

"By mid-April, I was still fighting to save the Tutsi to take them to Burundi. We managed to reach the Burundi border after escaping many roadblocks by ex-FAR soldiers,” he said.

After his commander realised he was rescuing Tutsi, he ordered soldiers to kill him but survived.

"One of the soldiers who also tried to save Tutsi was dismissed and left in hands of the Interahamwe, and died,” he said.

Joining RPF

After RPF-Inkotanyi took over Bugesera, Ntamfurayishyari went back to Bugesera and was integrated into the Inkotanyi army.

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"I retired in 1998. Some of my children are also currently soldiers in RPF-Inkotanyi,” he added.

Ntamfurayishyari urged the youth to learn lessons from the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi and fight against discrimination.

"Although I grew up as Hutu, I didn’t involve myself in discrimination or genocide ideology. Such values can help us build the country,” he said.

Youth can ‘borrow a leaf’

Rutaremara urged the youth to learn good lessons from the RPF-Inkotanyi that liberated the country and stopped the Genocide and possess values of Umurinzi w’igihango like Ntamfurayishyari.