Surviving war
Before 1994, when Hutu extremists waged war on the Tutsis in Rwanda, the Nikuze family lived a good life. Immaculee was the equivalent of a middle school teacher and her husband, Jean, was a university math professor.
They had six bright, well-educated children. When the bloodletting began, the family was caught up in it. Before it was over, 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus would be slaughtered at the hands of rebels.
Thousands of Rwandans like the Nikuze family would flee their homeland, never to return. The Nikuze family first fled across the border to the Democratic Republic of the Congo, sometimes referred to by the name of its capital, Kinshasa, to differentiate it from neighboring Congo.
From 1994 to 1996, the family lived in tents in refugee camps, and Immaculee volunteered as a teacher in the camps The family would later flee to Congo, which is usually referred to by the name of its capital city, Brazzaville.
On the run in the DRC
The family, along with others, eventually was forced into the jungles because rebels were killing everyone in sight, including babies, Alice recalled.
"You just had to run to save your life," she said.
"Even if you were in bed, you jumped up and ran," her mother added.
They hid in the jungle, which was filled with people trying to escape, Alice said. Everyone lived off what they could forage. Sometimes a fellow refugee would kill a wild pig and all were welcomed to share. Some people died from eating the wrong plant or fruit.
"Anything we could put in our mouth, we ate," Alice said.
In 1997, Immaculee's husband, two sons, and one daughter were murdered by rebels and the remaining family was on the run again. Eventually, they became separated. Immaculee was alone in Brazzaville, and the three children were together in Kinshasa.
"We did not hope to find her," Alice said of Immaculee.
But eventually they did, with help from the Red Cross. It was a tearful, joyful reunion.
"We had some kind of party just to thank God for that," Alice said.
For more info...
USA: Refugee in Abilene who survived genocide earns her GED
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"Hate Cannot Drive Out Hate. Only Love Can Do That", Dr. Martin Luther King.
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Posted by: Nzi Nink <nzinink@yahoo.com>
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