4 ideas
They killed with machetes until late afternoon, then went home to eat, drink, and feast on looted cattle. By mid-May, around five of every six Tutsi in the area had been killed, largely by people who knew them by name.
The killers used farming words for murder. They called it 'work,' spoke of 'cutting,' and ran it on fixed hours, with teams, breaks, and days off. Putting the killing inside the familiar rhythm of manual labour made it feel routine and removed the moment of moral decision. It became a chore you showed up for, like clearing brush.
The perpetrators described killing in a group as easier than killing alone. The collective made the act feel like no one's personal choice, and refusing carried social costs, fines, and suspicion. Later, testifying individually, the men still used 'we' and spoke of the killing as something that swept over the group. They rarely framed any death as their own deliberate decision.
Ideology and orders started the killing, but material gain kept it going day after day. Perpetrators took victims' cattle, crops, roofing sheets, and land, and ate meat every night in a time of abundance. Each day of killing brought a concrete reward, so participation became something men had a stake in continuing rather than a burden to escape.