Thousands Of People Slaughtered in a Stadium During Rwandan Genocide
On April 22, 1994, another gloomy chapter opened in the Rwandan genocide. On that day, reports confirmed the mass killings of thousands of Tutsi people in a stadium.
It all began with a sinister directive from government officials, instructing Tutsi people to gather at the Kibuye stadium. Oblivious of the impending horror, they complied, only to find themselves trapped within its confines. Denied food, water, and other basic human needs, they resorted to eating grass in a desperate bid for survival.
Surrounded by brutal attackers, including Gendarmerie Nationale soldiers, Gitesi Police, Interahamwe militants, and armed civilians, the stadium became a harrowing arena of violence. The first shot fired into the air signaled the beginning of a massacre that would claim the lives of at least 7,000 innocent Tutsis on that fateful day.
Performers re-enact the events of the genocide. Ben Curtis/AP
The horror did not end that day. The next morning, the assailants returned to kill any survivors. The cycle of bloodshed continued unabated. More than 35,000 Tutsis were massacred in the stadium attacks that lasted days. Some of the victims were burnt to death with petrol and reduced to ashes. Afterward, the ashes were later buried to accord them honour.
Meanwhile, over 800,000 people were massacred in various locations during the Genocide that lasted for some months as Rwanda's Hutu majority turned against the Tutsi people seeking to exterminate them.
Hitler Conceded Defeat
April 22, 1945, marked a crucial moment in history as Adolf Hitler faced the harsh reality of defeat. In his underground bunker, upon hearing the news from one of his generals that German defenses had crumbled against the Russian assault at Eberswalde, Hitler made a solemn admission to those present that the war was lost. Hitler then felt suicide was his only remaining option.
As if to underscore Hitler's grim assessment, the advancing Soviet forces achieved a significant breakthrough. A mechanized corps reached Treuenbrietzen, a town located 40 miles southwest of Berlin. In a remarkable display of liberation, the Soviet troops freed prisoners of war, including Norwegian Commander in Chief, Otto Ruge, from captivity. This momentous event served as a poignant reminder of the impending collapse of Nazi Germany and the unstoppable march of Allied victory.
Germany later surrendered on May 8, 1945, which paved the way to the end of the Second World War later that year as Japan followed its lead and surrendered on September 2, 1945.
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