At about this time 25 years ago, the mention of one man’s name was enough to send shudders of fear among Tutsi living in the former Cyangugu prefecture, now Rusizi Province. During the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, Theodore Rukeratabaro was the messenger of death who spread desolation wherever he went and was responsible for the deaths of thousands of Tutsi in Winteko, Mibirizi church as well as Kamarampaka Stadium where thousands had taken refuge. Being a resident of the area, Rukeratabaro found it easy to identify his Tutsi neighbours and accompanied with a list, he would enter the stadium and call out the names of his next victims. Yesterday, the last chapter of Rukeratabaro’s reign of terror came to an end when a Swedish court sentenced him to life behind bars. Sweden has raised the bar high for other countries to emulate as he is the third Genocide suspect to be tried and convicted, and each time, Swedish investigators have come and visited the scenes of crimes and listened to witnesses. That a monster had been sheltering in the West for a quarter century before his luck ran out is a resounding reminder that there will be no respite in bringing to book all who took part in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi that cost the lives of over a million people. When the genocidaires embarked on the 100-day spree of killings, they had rolled the dice- they will forever be hunted down whatever nook they shelter in. When they killed in 1994, they did not kill the spirit of those who survived. Today the roles have been reversed since survivors are the killers’ nightmare.
