May–June 1994 · Bisesero Hills, Kibuye Prefecture Theater
May–June 1994
In the hills of Bisesero, an estimated 50,000 Tutsi — many armed with spears, bows, and rocks — mounted organized resistance against Interahamwe militia attacks for weeks, an extraordinary act of collective defiance. When French soldiers arrived in late June as part of Opération Turquoise, survivors begged for protection. French troops left and returned three days later to find thousands more dead. The French delay became one of the most damning symbols of Western complicity.
Commanders