Survivors Fund (SURF) is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Dafroza Mukarumongi Gauthier, who died in Reims on Saturday 3 October 2026 at the age of 72, following an illness. For nearly three decades, Dafroza and her husband, Alain Gauthier, worked tirelessly to bring to justice those suspected of taking part in the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi who had found refuge in France. Our thoughts are with Alain, their children and grandchildren, and all who loved her.
A life devoted to justice
Born in Butare in 1954, Dafroza experienced the persecution of Tutsi from childhood, and was forced into exile in the early 1970s. On 8 April 1994, her mother was shot dead in a church in Kigali where she had sought refuge. Between 70 and 80 members of her mother’s side of the family were killed in the genocide.
In 1996, Dafroza and Alain returned to Rwanda to meet survivors and gather testimony. In 2001 they founded the Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR). They spent their holidays, and later their retirement, travelling across the hills of Rwanda to interview survivors, witnesses and prisoners, and preparing case files for the French courts. Dafroza’s knowledge of Kinyarwanda and of Rwanda’s history, together with her training as a chemical engineer, made her an exceptional investigator and interpreter of evidence. Together they were behind almost all of the thirty or so complaints lodged in France against suspected génocidaires. That work led to the first genocide trial in France in 2014, and a series of convictions since.
Beyond the courtroom, Dafroza spoke in schools and universities across France to share the history of the genocide and to confront denial. In 2017, Rwanda awarded her and Alain the Igihango National Order of Outstanding Friendship in recognition of their work.
“Dafroza’s courage and determination changed what justice looks like for survivors. Where governments were slow to act, she and Alain refused to accept that genocide suspects could simply live out their lives in peace in Europe. She showed survivors everywhere, including here in the UK, that persistence can overcome impunity. Her legacy will be felt in every case that comes to court,” said David Russell, UK Coordinator of Survivors Fund (SURF).
Carrying her work forward
Dafroza’s death comes just weeks after the first charges were brought in the UK in relation to the genocide, a reminder that the pursuit of accountability she championed remains as urgent as ever. SURF will continue to stand with survivors, and with all those, like Dafroza, who refuse to let the passing of time become a shield for those responsible. May her memory be a blessing.
For further information please see the news reports in The New Times, rfi and France 24.