Tutsi genocide survivor sees disturbing similarities in Gaza

As Israel continues its brutal war on the besieged Paslestinians of Gaza, those who have gone through genocide find similarities between their experiences and Israel's actions in the tiny coastal enclave.

In an interview with TRT World at a protest outside White House, Sandrine Irankunda, a survivor of the genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda, said she lost nearly her entire family during the1994 atrocities and sees harrowing parallels between the plight of Tutsi people and Palestinians in Gaza.

For her, the necessity of showing up to protest in support of Gaza is clear.

"Because a genocide is happening. And when a genocide is happening, we have to move and do something," she stated emphatically.

As a survivor of the genocide, where an estimated 500,000-800,000 Tutsi people were slaughtered in a mere 100 days by armed Hutu militants in Rwanda, US-based Irankunda said she feels a profound responsibility to act.

"The only thing I can think of doing is to just come out and protest. Add my voice to the community, ask for a free Palestine, and to stop killing children."

Irankunda has spent considerable time educating herself about the Palestinian resistance movement, seeking to understand their struggle deeply.

"What I've been doing is educating myself. Because I know what happened to me and my family. But I didn't really know much about the Palestine resistance movement. So I've had to educate myself to know what is going on," she explained.

The self-education has strengthened her resolve to stand against oppression worldwide.

"The more we educate ourselves, the more we can take a stand and change the world for the better. And protect the oppressed and the marginalised all over the world."

Drawing direct comparisons between the dehumanising language used by Israeli leaders to describe Palestinians and the rhetoric used by officials in Rwanda against Tutsi, Irankunda highlighted a chilling pattern.

"Genocide doesn't happen in a vacuum. It's something that is planned with steps to eliminate people. It starts with language. And we've seen a lot of the language that dehumanises the Palestinian people. That’s the same thing that happened to my people."

This language, she asserts, is a precursor to broader atrocities.

"The will to exterminate the people. That's happening to the Palestinians. This is what happened to my people as well. So I think all genocides unfold in common patterns."

Israel has waged a brutal invasion on Gaza since Hamas' October 7 blitz on Israeli military and settlements that were once Arab villages and farms.

Hamas says its raid that surprised its arch-enemy was orchestrated in response to Israeli attacks on Al Aqsa Mosque, illegal settler violence in the occupied West Bank and to put Palestine question "back on the table."

Israel has since then killed more than 36,000 Palestinians — majority of them babies, women and children — and wounded more than 81,000 amid mass destruction and shortages of necessities.

Around 85% of Gaza's 2.4 million people have fled their homes. Severe hunger is widespread, and UN officials say parts of the territory are experiencing famine.

The emotional toll of witnessing the violence in Gaza has been profound for Irankunda.

"To be honest, it has made me feel almost handicapped, not knowing what to do. I just feel very sad, grief-stricken, and just feeling like I don't know what to do," she admitted.

Her protest is an attempt to cope with these feelings and to take a stand against what she sees as a repetition of history.

Reflecting on the loss of her own family, Irankunda said she feels a compelling need to act.

"I lost my family and I feel like I'm witnessing other families lose their family. And it's just a grief that even though our genocide happened 30 years ago, it's still something that you carry with you," she shared.

Her protest is a way to bear witness and to stand in solidarity with Palestinians, ensuring they know they are not alone.

Irankunda, a Tutsi survivor, recounted the devastating loss of her family, saying, "I'm Tutsi, my family is Tutsi. So my family was exterminated. My maternal family, all of them were killed except one person who was out of the country."

Reflecting on the current situation in Gaza, Irankunda expressed disbelief.

"I'm so shocked, stunned, frozen into shock. I just can't believe that 30 years later we're still dealing with the same things. A few days ago when I saw what happened in Rafah again, I was saddened, heartbroken and I just couldn't function after that, which is why I dragged my family to come out here today to protest," she said. "I just don't know how to function."

Irankunda's message to the world is clear and urgent.

"Let's end the genocide. We need to do everything. Whatever you are, whatever power you have, whatever action you can do, do it to end this genocide," she implored.