Eastern Province

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Tens of thousands of women took part in the Genocide in Rwanda in 1994, but their role is rarely spoken of, and reconciliation with his family is hard. The journalist Natalia Ojewska was in conversation with Some of the female offender in prison.

What began as a simple trip to fetch water for the Breakfast ended with happiness Mukankuranga murder.

Dressed in an orange prison uniform and speaking in your dim, quiet voice, she remembers The Events of The Morning of Sunday, 10. April 1994.

on the way, they came across a group of attackers, two Men beat up in The Middle of the road.

"If [the two] fell to the ground, I took a stick and said:" Tutsi must die!'. Then I met One of them, And Then The Other . I was One of The Killers says," the 70-year-old.

Haunted by murders

These were the two among the 800,000 murders of ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus that took place over 100 Days .

After their Engagement in the slaughter, Mukankuranga, an ethnic Hutu, returned home, their seven Children ashamed of. Flashbacks of the Crime Scene would not stop haunting her.

"I'm A Mother . I killed Some of the parents of The Children ," she says.

Only a few days later, two frightened Tutsi Children whose parents respect you just slaughtered, with machetes, knocked on their door and asked for refuge.

'tide of debt'

you did not hesitate and hid them in The Attic , where they survived the massacre.

"although I have saved Children , I have failed these two Men . This help is never The Tide of debt," says Mukankuranga.

it is a rape of an estimated 96,000 women sentenced for their involvement in the Genocide - Some of the adults killed, as Mukankuranga, Some of the killed Children , and to commit other egged on The Men , and to murder.

On the evening of 6. April 1994 was shot down by a plane, the implementation of Rwanda's Hutu President, Juvenal Habyarimana , as The Airport is approached in the capital city of Kigali.

Although the identity of The Assassins were never found, Hutu extremists immediately accused the Tutsi rebels of carrying out The Attack . Within hours, thousands of Hutu, indoctrinated, since decades of hate-filled ethnic propaganda, connected with the well-organized killing.

The participation of women challenges a stereotype in Rwanda by women as a protector and provider of a soothing voice.

"It is very difficult to understand how A Mother who loves her Children , she would go to your neighbours' [home] to kill their Children ," says Regine Abanyuze, who works for Never Again , a non-government organisation promoting peace and reconciliation.

once again the spark for the atrocities was fired, thousands of women acted as agents of violence alongside The Men .

In The Prison , to confess to The Women time and to try to reconciliation with The Victims

Pauline Nyiramasuhuko , former Minister for family and promotion of women, was One of The Few Rwandan women who has a powerful leading position in the male-dominated political scene. She played a crucial role in the orchestration of the Genocide .

In 2011, The International criminal Tribunal for Rwanda found them guilty of Genocide . She remains the only woman ever convicted for rape as A Crime against humanity.

Nyiramasuhuko bore command responsibility over militias, Tutsi women were raped in the Prefecture of Butare Office.

But while she sat at the top, Some of the ordinary Rwandan women were also inciting Men . To use any other, don't hesitate, every available weapon to slaughter their neighbors.

There are no separate rehabilitation programs for female criminals, to fight many of them with the compatibility, what have you done with conventional notions of the role of women.

Two views of a massacre

Martha Mukamushinzimana A Mother of five Children , the secretly The Burden of their crimes wore for 15 years before she decided to look to the judicial authorities in 2009 as she could no longer Live With The Burden of their crime.

Martha Mukamushinzimana says that it is only the commands

Define themselves through the prism of motherhood, many are overwhelmed with shame, to your love, that they failed in their role as caregivers.

"Time Is the most important rehabilitation tool that we use. We want to listen to you as much time as needed to you and slowly bring you to The Point of confession," says Grace Ndawanyi, Director of The Prison for female inmates in Ngoma, Rwanda Province Eastern.

"Because My House was near the main road, I Heard all the whistles and saw my Tutsi neighbors gathered and in The Church ," says Mukamushinzimana, sitting in a tiny, bare prison room and sometimes cry.

thousands of Tutsis huddled in and around the parish of Nyamasheke Catholic Church fought for your life for a week. Stanislus Kayitera, 53, was One of The Few survivors. His forearm bears a wide and irregular scar of a shrapnel grenade.

"I remember The Women collect the stones and give them to The Men who throw them at us. Men were also shooting, throwing grenades and pouring fuel on people And Then setting them On Fire .

"Then, they stormed The Church and began to kill us, and the clubs," says Mr Kayitera, who Survived By hiding among The Dead .

Mukamushinzimana says that she felt compelled to follow the orders.

"I took My Baby on the back and The Group to collect stones of the castle itself used to kill people, hiding in The Church ," says Mukamushinzimana that had born only Two Weeks earlier.

If you are imprisoned, in the year 2009, not with One of her relatives was ready to Take Care of their five Children .

The goal is the reintegration of the offender into society

"Genocide is A Crime against entire communities. It is only the dignity of The Victims , but also the offender does not harm. And Those People who are in need of healing," said Fidele Ndayisaba, Executive Secretary of the Executive Committee in Rwanda National unity and reconciliation Commission. to write

Female criminals, which they are encouraged to be revealing The Truth , letters to their families and relatives of The Victims to get back The Lost confidence step-by-step.

More about the Genocide :

Once out of prison criminals released, female face very different challenges on the way to the reintegration of The Men .

Some of your Men have re-married and disinherited from their property. Their communities are not welcome, and you are struggling with the rejection of their immediate family.

But it is worth a lot, the healing takes time and there are still Some prisoners are reluctant to reject the ideology of hatred.

"Yes, we have Some People deny their crimes. They are the ones that are hard, but their number is declining," says Mr Ndayisaba.

" I couldn't Hold Back The Tears ,'

the happiness Mukankuranga only found the courage to confess for your crimes, Four Years after their conviction in 2007.

she remembers feeling nervous before, he is The Son of One of their victims for forgiveness.

Against your expectations, "he was happy and excited when he met me, and I couldn't Hold Back The Tears , as I hugged him," she says.

Mukankuranga now the fragile relationships with their loved ones, looking carefully in The Future , in the hope that you will be able to create a new.

"When I go Back Home , I live in peace with My Family and I will me. with more love and care to the people I'm now paying for the consequences of my crime. I should not be in prison, as A Mother ," she adds.

Source of news: bbc.com