Panic has gripped residents of Musanze district in northern Rwanda after assailants killed 14 people last week.
A trader in Kabazungu area Isaac Niyonshuti, told the BBC that the situation is terrible and they are afraid the assailants might return to kill those who escaped.
The assailants, suspected to be members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda militia, attacked villages near the Volcanoes National Park, famous for the mountain gorillas.
Rwandan security forces said they killed 19 rebels and arrested five others in an operation over the weekend. Officials say the rebels carried out the Friday attack while searching for food.