Xavéra Mukagakwaya

A white dove in flight

(Unsplash/卡晨)

Date of Death
January 8, 1998

 

On January 8, 1998, armed Rwandan Patriotic Army rebels infiltrated the Daughters of Resurrection convent in Busasamana, Mutura Commune, DRC and attacked the community with machetes. Sisters Xavéra Mukagakwaya, Berthilde Mukamuhire, Epiphanie Gasigwa, and Césarine Uwimana, all in their early thirties, and Félicité Benimana, 41, were killed. Sr. Devota Rwangeyo died two weeks later in a hospital due to her injuries from a head gunshot.

The murdered sisters had chosen to stay in the convent and serve their local community despite advice from authorities to evacuate from the area due to widespread insecurity. They believed they would not be harmed as they were politically neutral. They provided hospitality to refugees who were sheltered in their convent after their houses had been burned down by RPA soldiers, which may be an explanation for the attack on the convent.

References: https://www.refworld.org/docid/3ae6a9bc14.html