Sikariyo, Ahikura
Summary of Oral History
Ahikura Sikariyo was born in 1958 in Cendajuru village, Vumbi commune in Kirundo province. He dropped out of school in 1972 when the tragedy came out; he was in fifth grade. At that time tutsis rounded up any hutu who was intelligent, school educated or wise; they didn’t take simple person or stupid they took important person. During the tragedy, he lost three relatives: his uncle Ntavyo Martin who raised them after their father’s death, his brother Longin Nahimana who taught at Muyange in Gashoho, he was killed when he had not got even his first salary; her sister Merida Singirankabo who was studying at Muramvya. There are also neighbors killed like Oscar’s father, Rwabaye who was closest friend of Ntavyo; and others.
He told us about some of the people who were involved in that massacre, like Mpagaceri. He was counselor and local leader, after killing his uncle Martin Ntavyo and looting his possessions, he came back to propose marriage to that widow, so he returned back some of things they had looted like cows and other tools but not all; that marriage got a week's duration. His sister Merida Singirankabo who was at school when the tragedy started didn’t return back. She disappeared there, they didn’t know how she was killed. Gahima was the administrator who was involved in that killing. He drove the car and with a policeman, Miburo, they embarked Hutus in his car and took them away.
To take away those Hutus, they used false accusations that they had got money to exterminate tutsis, they also said that they wanted to fight against Mulele, people who were said to have invaded Burundi country, after that they changed and began to call Hutus Mulele, so they killed them continuously. The interviewee said how they survived in very bad conditions, they were desperate, orphans, they dropped out of schools, whereas they had a good life before that tragedy. He said that only Hutus were targeted and that he never saw any Tutsi taken away.