Freddy Mutanguha

Born: Unknown, , Burundi

Freddy Mutanguha was 18 when the genocide began. He lived with his mother, stepfather and four half-sisters in a small town. A sister, Rosette, lived elsewhere, but was with the family when the attacks began.

When militias started killing people, Freddy’s mother sent him to in-laws who were a Tutsi/Hutu couple. One of the sons warned that the father and another son would kill him, so Freddy fled back home. A good Hutu friend named Jean-Pierre let Freddy hide in his house.

It was a terrible time. Freddy could hear people being killed. He feared for his parents. For a week, they avoided being killed because they paid the militias money or gave them food. But they ran out of money and food to trade. Freddy helplessly heard screams as gangs of Hutus killed his parents. It gave him nightmares for many years to come.

His four half sisters were not at home when it was attacked. Jean-Pierre arranged for them to hide out with his brother. But the brother called the militia, who dragged the girls away and killed them.

Rosette had hidden at a friend’s house. She came to find Freddy. But it was getting too dangerous to stay with Jean Pierre, so at night they made their way to an uncle and aunt. The aunt was Tutsi, the uncle Hutu. Their brave uncle gave them his Hutu ID card. It listed his two children. Freddy and Rosette used the ID card to pass as Hutu children. It saved their lives several times. Eventually, they had to separate. When the genocide ended in July, Freddy found his sister. They were the only survivors of their close family. Freddy went back to school and helped found a student group to help young survivors. Later, he became the East Africa Director of the Aegis Trust, which works to prevent genocides worldwide.

Click here for background information on the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.