She denies being a witchdoctor, but her imaginary power saves village in unforgettable genocide

ayodele johnson

December 26, 2018 9:53 PM

Zura Karuhimbi has a reputation for using magical powers, because of this awareness about her, she is able to save a multitude over a 100-day period in the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.

Sometimes when Hutu militias would visit her home in search of the targeted Tutsis, Zura Karuhimbi will scare them with a promise of a ruthless death if they dared to come close. - Women's News Agency

Hutu rebels had a tough time gaining access to scared Tutsis who were hiding in her home. In the month of April of the year earlier mentioned, a plane conveying Juvenal Habyarimana, the country's president was shot down and it resulted in his death.

This sparked fierce violence in Rwanda where the favoured Tutsis were the main targets. But Zura Karuhimbi was menacing to the attackers who visited her residence in search of more blood to shed.

The feared Karuhimbi died on Monday, December 17, 2018, according to the BBC News. Before her passing, she shared about experiencing the bitterness in human beings during the unforgettable mass killings.

"During the genocide, I saw the darkness of a man's heart," two decades after the massacre, The East African learns from her.

Rwandan president Juvenal Habyarimana (C) was killed when his plane was shot down in 1994, triggering the genocide of some 800,000 in the east African country. - AFP AFP

A report published by the BBC five days after Zura Karuhimbi's death confirmed her passing at a village in Musamo located in the east of capital Kigali. Official documents suggest that she is 93 years old but by her own account, she might be a lot more.

Recent reports have revealed that the French authorities have dropped a probe into the plane crash that killed Rwanda's former president Juvenal Habyarimana on April 6, 1994.

AFP News confirmed from a legal source on Wednesday, December 26, 2018, that judges decided to halt the case due to a lack of evidence. The decision was made five days prior according to reports.

ayodele johnson