A woman who lost her family in the Rwandan genocide has revealed how the horrors she witnessed still plague her 25 years on.
Chantal Mutesi escaped to Ireland after her husband, four brothers, a sister, her mum and extended family members were killed in the 1994 massacre.
She was only 26 and managed to escape with her newborn child.
Ms Mutesi, who now lives in Cork, said: “I lived through it. I survived it with a baby who was only three weeks old when it started.
“Memories don’t fade despite people saying time is a healer. It’s not really, it is just you learn how to cope.”
Ms Mutesi’s daughter, now aged 25, will be returning to her homeland next month for the first time since her country was ravaged by war.
The bloody conflict, which began after the assassination of the country’s president and the president of Burundi, saw the mass slaughter of up to one million people across just 100 days.
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Speaking at a ceremony marking its 25th anniversary, Ms Mutesi said: “Memories are still fresh. I lost my husband, brothers and my sister. My mom, my grandmother, and my cousins my aunties, my best friends, you know.
“The whole life was changed overnight. Commemorating, remembering our loved ones and at the same time acknowledging what’s happening; the courage, the faith and the progress we’ve made, I couldn’t be prouder.”
The event by aid agency Bothar, which was held over the weekend near its Limerick headquarters, saw Mayor of the City and Council of Limerick James Collins plant a birch tree - a symbol of hope and new beginnings.
Ms Mutesi attended the ceremony along with fellow Rwandan Egwyge Roussard.
Mr Roussard said: “I left Rwanda when I was five but it’s my home country. And I have family there and I also lost some members of my family.
“I’m really glad to see how the Irish and Limerick people are dedicated to remember what happened in Rwanda.”
Bothar began working in Rwanda 22 years ago, supporting the government’s ‘Grinka’ programme of giving each poor family in rural areas a cow – cows are sacred in Rwandan culture.
Ms Mutesi thanked the aid agency for helping her home country.
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She said: “Really thank you for everything you have done for us for the families who are now able to send kids to school.”
Niamh Mulqueen, chief operating officer, said: “When we hear the stories that we’ve heard today it can actually stop in your tracks.
“However, I think an important message to take away from today is to show the positivity that is in Rwanda now 25 years later, the hope that they have.
“The resilience that they have. I think the whole world could learn from them.”
