In April 1997, at the Collège de l’Immaculée Conception de Muramba in Ngororero District, a group of schoolgirls faced a deadly test.
Armed insurgents, at the time known as “Abacengezi” stormed their school around 3am, and ordered them to separate themselves along ethnic lines—“Tutsis” on one side and those they called “ibipinga” on the other.
The students refused.
Instead, they responded with a simple but powerful declaration: “Twese turi Abanyarwanda” — “We are all Rwandans.”
That act of unity sealed their fate. Seventeen students were killed after insurgents opened fire, punishing them for refusing division and for declining to identify where other students were hiding. Survivors say the girls who died became heroes, choosing solidarity over survival.
The Night of April 27, 1997
Survivors remember that April 27 began like any ordinary school day, ending with evening rest after sports activities. But shortly after midnight, armed men surrounded the dormitories, broke down doors, and forced students outside.
Survivor Murekatete Clementine remembers names of he student colleagues killed on that fateful night
One survivor, Murekatete Clementine, recalls the moment clearly: “On April 27, we had spent the day well. There were sports activities at school, and after that we continued our normal routine until we went to sleep. But around one in the morning, I heard many people passing behind our dormitory. They started banging on the door, broke it open, and forced us outside. We found students from other nearby dormitories already there, and they made all of us sit on the ground.”
She says the attackers then issued their command: “They told us that Tutsis go there and and ibipinga (intransigents) go the other side. We hesitated, and when they became violent, we responded saying we were all Rwandans. One of them immediately said, ‘Shoot them. All I know is that they are all Tutsi.’ They began shooting.”
As bullets flew, anyone who lifted their head was shot. Murekatete survived only because another student, Kawera Marie Josée, stood up first.
“When they reached me and I was about to raise my head, Kawera Marie Josée stood up. They shot her immediately, and she died on the spot. She fell on top of me, and I was only shot in the legs. I lay there in blood, still breathing but silent, because anyone who moved was stabbed.”
She remained lying beneath the bodies of her classmates until the attackers left and soldiers later arrived to rescue survivors.
Courage That Saved Others
Some students were confronted individually and ordered to reveal where others were sleeping. They refused, even when threatened with death.
Murekatete recalls one such moment: “A student called Mukankaka Valentine had gone to the toilet and met the attackers outside. They ordered her to show them where the other students were sleeping. She replied, ‘I don’t know. If you want, kill me.’ When they brought us outside, her body was already there.”
Survivors say her refusal likely saved dozens of lives.
“If she had wanted, she could have led them to all the dormitories. They could have killed all of us. But because of unity and courage, she protected her classmates and was killed before the others.”
The victims
Teachers Who Lived Through the Attack
Teachers who lived on the school compound also narrowly survived.
Mpazayabo Jean Damascène, a teacher at the time, remembers hiding as gunfire filled the compound: “I saw flashes of light through the window—it was gunfire. As we tried to escape, we ran into people entering and had to retreat. We climbed into the ceiling as bullets continued outside. Those who were found downstairs were taken out. We were rescued later when soldiers arrived.”
Another teacher, Twagiramungu Eularie, who had sheltered children and her family at the school, recalls a similar ordeal: “We heard intense gunfire and screams. People broke the window of the room where we were sleeping. We hid in the bathroom. They shot at the door but failed to break in and eventually left.”
Twagiramungu Eularie, a teacher who has been there since that fateful day
Why Muramba Matters
What happened at Muramba is often compared to the attack on Nyange Secondary School earlier in 1997. In both cases, students were targeted for refusing to be divided.
Survivors and educators argue that the Muramba students deserve national recognition for their courage.
“What happened at Nyange is no different from what happened here at Muramba,” Mpazayabo says. “These children also stood firm in unity. They should be recognised as heroes.”
A Message to the Youth and Parents
Those who lived through the attack urge young people today to hold firmly to unity and reject anything that seeks to divide them.
“If today’s youth had hearts like these children,” Twagiramungu says, “Rwanda would be a paradise. Young people should know they are Rwandans first.”
They also call on parents to reject genocidal ideology and ensure it is not passed on to future generations.
A Story Preserved on Film
The full story of the Muramba 1997 attack, including survivor testimonies and historical context, is documented in a groundbreaking Kigali Today Ltd documentary titled “Muramba 1997.” (#Muramba1997)
The documentary is available on the Kigali Today YouTube channel, ensuring that the courage of these students is preserved, remembered, and passed on to future generations.
The Collège de l’Immaculée Conception de Muramba was attacked on April 27, 1997, shortly after a similar insurgent attack on ES Nyange on March 18, 1997—two events that remain powerful reminders of the cost of division, and the strength of unity.
