The massacre, carried out on the night of 13 August 2004, was orchestrated by the armed group FNL-PALIPEHUTU, with alleged support from elements of the Congolese army. Two decades later, the Banyamulenge say justice has never been deliveredâ€"while killings, displacement, and persecution persist.
Justice denied, persecution continues
Speaking on behalf of the Coordination des Mutualités Banyamulenge, community leader Jules Rutebuka said countless efforts to seek justice have been ignored.
'We filed cases in Burundi against those who admitted responsibility, including Agathon Rwasa and Pasteur Habimana, but they still walk free. We also appealed to the DRC, where Congolese soldiers were implicated, yet nothing was done. Every authority we approached has failed us,' he said.
Rutebuka noted that although the commemoration looks back to 2004, Banyamulenge and other Congolese Tutsi remain targets today. Livestock are seized, homes burned, and people killed or displaced simply for speaking Kinyarwanda.
'This is why we chose self-defense. We cannot continue to offer our necks to the killers,' he added.
Survivors' testimonies
For survivors like Michel Gahakanyi, the memory of Gatumba is still vivid. Then just 22, he recalled how attackers stormed the camp, surrounding it before targeting Banyamulenge refugees who had been deliberately separated from others.
'They came prepared, poured gasoline on our shelters, and burned people alive. Anyone who tried to run was shot. My sister was killed in front of me and set on fire. I escaped through piles of bodies,' he said.
Reflecting on the present, Gahakanyi argued that the same forces that killed them in 2004 are still activeâ€"now working alongside President Félix Tshisekedi's government in DRC.
'The Burundians who killed us then are the same ones killing us today, this time with official backing. We want justice, but if it doesn't come, we will defend ourselves until peace is restored. This is our country, and we will not give it up,' he warned.
A fresh wound
The community was recently shaken by the arrest of Laurent Ruboneka Musabwa, a Gatumba survivor and embassy staff member in Burundi. On 27 July 2024, Burundian security forces detained him and flew him to Kinshasa in a chartered plane arranged by the DRC government.
Rutebuka condemned the arrest: 'Musabwa was a lifeline for refugees and vulnerable people. Now he joins many others unjustly taken simply because they are Banyamulenge, Tutsi, or suspected of ties to M23. They are innocent, yet they are persecuted for their identity.'
Community members fear more arrests could follow, as many Banyamulenge live under constant threat.
Who will deliver justice?
The Gatumba Refugees Survivors Foundation (GRSF) filed a case with the International Criminal Court (ICC), urging prosecution of those responsible for the massacre. Similar complaints were lodged in Burundi and the DRC. But nearly 21 years later, impunity prevails.
Former FNL fighters were shielded by immunity under the Dar es Salaam ceasefire agreement of 7 September 2006.
Lawyer Innocent Nteziryayo, who represents GRSF and other Congolese Tutsi groups, said: 'We submitted all the evidence required. For two years, we have been gathering additional proof, linking it with independent reports, and presenting it to courts. Burundi, the DRC, and even the ICC have our files. They acknowledged themâ€"but no court has acted. We will keep reminding them.'
Gratitude and determination
The Banyamulenge community expressed gratitude to Rwanda for hosting many survivors and providing safety and opportunities to rebuild their lives.
Still, Rutebuka stressed that this does not replace their right to return home: 'We thank Rwanda for sheltering us. But the Congolese government must recognize that we have the right to live in our own land.'
The Banyamulenge's plight stretches back decades. Since colonial times, they have been denied recognition as full citizens of Congo. They suffered massacres during the Mulele rebellion in 1964, and waves of violence returned in the 1990s.
Since 2017, violence has intensified once more, with Mai-Mai militias collaborating with Burundian groups like Red Tabara and FNL-PALIPEHUTU. Attacks have ravaged South Kivuâ€"killing civilians, torching homes, looting livestock, and forcing thousands into displacement.
IGIHE
