Hutu Refugees (1997)

Excerpt from the draft of “Apostle to the Pygmies – The Doctor Jerry Galloway Story”

The soldiers were very unfriendly, and one of them even threatened to throw a grenade at the crowd gathered around them. The chief allowed them to stay in a house he owned, and the villagers had to bring them food. We could not wait to evacuate these 15 soldiers tomorrow.

The following morning, the soldiers ambled into the mission. Father Daniel told them they had to wait since five more soldiers and 32 refugees would be arriving soon. He explained that we would transport all of them at one time in the truck. The soldiers were upset.

When the group arrived at noon, the soldiers refused to allow the refugees onto the truck. The mission team began to treat them since so many were sick. The refugees were Hutus who had fled to Zaire in 1994. They were forced to flee to many places during the past few years. The refugees wanted to go to Kinshasa, but I knew they would never reach there. The rebel soldiers killed every Hutu refugee they encountered. The villagers were afraid to give them lodging at night.

I learned that the group of refugees who went to Kiri earlier in the week did not get to enter. They fled toward the Zaire River, where they hoped to cross over to the Congo. This second group also left in the direction of the Zaire River. I felt so sorry for the women and children. Most of the men were murderers who had killed the Tutsis in 1994. They had paid dearly for their sins. Thirty-seven more refugees arrived, and they were hungry and sick. We fed and treated them and gave them lodging for the night.