French soldiers deliberately amputated and starved Tutsis in Goma

Date: 19th-December 2006
Rwanda News Agency

Up to Ten probe witnesses have confirmed to the Mucyo Commission that French soldiers kept them at a transit treatment centre in Goma for about a week without food and amputated limbs of some of the victims "because" they were "Tutsis", RNA has established.
According to the witnesses, all of who were transferred by French soldiers in Military helicopters from Bisesero killing grounds to Goma (D R Congo), apparently as a "way of helping them escape from the militias". Instead, as the commission has heard from about a dozen witnesses, their nightmare was yet to start.
Evidence narrated by the witnesses indicates that around late July 1994, on military pressure from the RPF rebels, French soldiers retreated with Interahamwe, ex-FAR and the genocidal government, along with about 70 Bisesero victims.
Statistics available show that more than 30,000 Tutsis were butchered, bombed or shot at Bisesero by Interahamwes and ex-FAR - with either support of French soldiers or as they just looked on without any intervention. The surviving 70 were taken along.
According to the witnesses, some of who testified on Friday and others - today, they were denied food "deliberately" as the rations were being taken to a nearby camp where "Hutus" were being given "good care" including treatment, food and shelter.
The witnesses say that on arrival at Goma, they were all "forced" to "undress" by French soldiers on guard and "packed" in a tent all together including women, children and men. They say that after days of bitter complaints for food, French soldiers brought them (victims) biscuits and water.
"Imagine women, children and men all undressed and left with no single cloth even as cold as it was - French soldiers and other Congolese could laugh at us like as though we were tourist attractions", Witness 32 told the commission this morning.
According to the witnesses, (like No. 31 whose leg was chopped off), since all had been wounded in Bisesero, each was told by the French soldier-medics - usually individually that the wounded limbs would be amputated "because of cancer infections".
"After legs of two (2) people had been cut off and arms of three (3) others - we all decided that no other person should be amputated because we realised that it was a deliberate campaign to leave us with no limbs just because we were Tutsi", Witness 30 told the commission.
Witness 32, who was brought to the "French medics" days later - narrated of how he was viciously interrogated on whether he was "Hutu or Tutsi" by French soldiers - only to be accepted amidst doubts by the "hosts".
"They checked my palms - ribs - and whole body - they were arguing amongst themselves as to what I was - but accepted me with reservations", the seemingly well-built gentleman narrated.
"I managed to convince them that am Hutu - they were wondering why I had been brought by Tutsis and not taken to the Hutus’ camp nearby - when they insisted on chopping off either my injured leg or arm - I crawled and fled!!", he narrated. Apparently, he had been given cloths by a relative - and that is what he wore as he fled with the help of the same visitor.
For all the period that these victims lived at what one of them called the "butchery", French soldiers would force them all - (children, women and men) - onto a ground out of the tent - naked as they were - and sprinkled with water as their bath.
"The soldier had a long tube attached to a water source and would go on sprinkling water as though he was watering plants - it was a very miserable experience", Witness 33, who was 17 at the time narrated.
Meanwhile, Witness 34 has confirmed the rapes of girls by French soldiers that occurred at SOS-Gikongoro orphanage. He worked with orphanage from 1991to 1994 and was also later employed by French soldiers as a house helper doing the laundry. He was later to continue but left in 1999.
Apparently, French soldiers preferred "only Tutsi girls" - most of who were brought in from Kibuye. He also told the commission that he had seen a case of a man who was taken in a helicopter saying - "but the helicopter returned around 15 minutes later with only French soldiers and a Rwandan - (in military cap) on board", most probably the victim was dumped in Nyungwe forest.