Rwanda – Known during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi as Kimashini—a nickname meaning “machine” due to the speed and brutality of his killings—Habiyaremye Bernard is a name that still echoes through the hills of Murundi Sector in Karongi District. Once feared as a merciless killer, he now lives quietly among those he once betrayed.
During the Genocide, Habiyaremye became infamous in the Gasharu Cell of Murundi for his role in the mass murder of more than 300 Tutsis, including neighbors and friends. His crimes were recorded in the Gacaca court system, which documented his direct involvement in some of the most horrific killings in the region.
“That area was home to many Tutsis,” says Anne Marie Mukamatayo, president of Ibuka in Gasharu. “Families like Mukakimenyi’s and Ntoyihuku’s were completely wiped out. There is no one left from those homes.”
At a past Genocide commemoration, Dr. Jean Damascène Bizimana, Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, referred to Habiyaremye’s case as one of the most extreme examples of individual involvement in the killings. “In Nyamushishi Cell, this man killed more people by name than any other individual identified by Gacaca courts,” he stated.
Habiyaremye, now a free man, remembers the moment he began killing. He claims it was triggered by a conversation with a man mourning his daughter. “He said, ‘They killed my daughter. Now I have no one to avenge me.’ That was the start. I killed him—Tharcisse Nzabahimana. After that, I kept going. I felt like I had to, or it would catch up with me.”
The 1994 genocide against Tutsi in Rwanda took a life of more than 1 million innocent people in 100 days.
After serving his sentence under the Gacaca system, Habiyaremye returned to the very community he once terrorized. To the surprise of many, he says he was not met with hostility. “No one has rejected me. I share meals with people. I don’t feel like I have enemies.”
He admits to being deeply affected by his actions. “I wasn’t myself—I was like a statue. No human being with a heart could do what I did and call themselves good.”
Habiyaremye credits Rwanda’s reconciliation and civic education efforts with helping him come to terms with his past. “Unity and reconciliation have done wonders. When you look at Rwanda today, you see a country that has rebuilt itself.”
Despite his past, Habiyaremye now lives in relative harmony with genocide survivors—some of whom lost relatives to his violence. “We talk, we eat together. I don’t hide, and they don’t avoid me.”
He also expressed gratitude to President Paul Kagame for fostering national unity and creating opportunities for former perpetrators to reintegrate. “Thanks to his leadership, I’ve been given a second chance to contribute to the country I once destroyed.”
Habiyaremye is now among those speaking out against genocide ideology, warning that while it may persist, it can be eradicated. “It’s everyone’s responsibility to fight that mindset. There’s no room for it in Rwanda.”
His story—shocking yet reflective of Rwanda’s long journey toward healing—serves as a reminder of the brutal past, the power of justice and reconciliation, and the nation’s commitment to never repeat its darkest chapter.
