- "I was in Rwanda trying to help local churches provide aid and sanctuary to refugees."
- ―Paul Lantom[src]
Rwanda, officially the Republic of Rwanda, is a sovereign state in central and east Africa.
History[]
Rwandan Genocide[]
- "I'd become close with the village elder, Gahiji."
- ―Paul Lantom to Matt Murdock[src]
In 1994, numerous members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group in Rwanda were targeted by armed militias, who would also force the Tutsi villagers to massacre their neighbors with machetes. Local churches were providing aid and sanctuary to refugees, with American missionary Paul Lantom supporting them as well. With Lantom's support, an elder of the local village, Gahiji helped everyone he could, both Tutsi and Hutu villagers.
None of the Hutu villagers dared to attack Gahiji, considering him a holy man, and even the militia was reluctant to kill him by beheading, and would ask the commander for a permission to shoot him instead. The commander took interest in Gahiji and arrived at his village to have a talk with an elder. They talked for many hours, however, by the end of their conversation, the commander dragged Gahiji outside and murdered him and his family without hesitation.[1]
