A French expert Commission investigating France’s role in the genocide in Rwanda, which is 25 years back. Mutual accusations are to be processed. A difficult undertaking.
Best friends – France and Rwanda were long. To many of the allegations are in the room, since France in 1994 during the genocide soldiers to Rwanda posted. With the old guard of the Hutu regime’s close relations, and many of the Hutu passed masterminds of the genocide escaped to, of all things, about the French protection zone to the neighboring country of Zaire (now the democratic Republic of the Congo), shortly before the Tutsi-led Kinyarwanda-Patriotic Front took Power. This ruled until today.
In the meantime, the diplomatic relations were severed on both sides completely, then you have been limited to a Minimum. But for the past two years, the ratio relaxes again. Rwanda intends in these months to the age of 25. Time of the cruel massacre of Tutsi and moderate Hutu, in which according to the government, around one Million people were killed. For the first Time, was invited, with Emmanuel Macron, a French President personally for the symbolic kick – off and had the first of his participation in the memorial celebration at 7. April signaled.
Olivier-Secretary of state in the Rwandan Nduhungirehe, the Ministry of foreign Affairs
At the end of Macron was then, but the young Deputy Hervé Berville represented and released in France as in Rwanda – a new polemic. But Olivier Nduhungirehe, state Secretary in the Rwandan Ministry of foreign Affairs, sees no new burden in the bilateral relations. “This is not a Problem,” provides Nduhungirehe at the DW clear Interview. Berville have represented by its President worthy of it. “The Franco-Rwandan relations have experienced at various levels to restart. We will continue to work to improve these relationships and in doing so, our special attention to some of the problems on which we work.”
Couple Kagame the 25-year-old memory with Moussa Faki (AU on the left) and Jean-Claude Juncker (EU law)
France’s role in genocide
Some of the problems – including the government in Kigali is likely to understand the points of dispute to the French military operation “Turquoise”. Between June and August 1994, controlled France a Zone in the southwest of Rwanda, the so-called “safe humanitarian Zone”. In fact, the contributed to the fact that Tutsi were saved, but also in the “Zone Turquoise” people were murdered. For the government it is understood that the French use the Hutu played Regime in the hands. A Commission established in 2008 a support all along the line. “Operation Turquoise protected the escape of the perpetrators of the genocide, as this was almost over,” said Nduhungirehe. The murders have not, however, stopped them.
Guillaume Ancel, author of “Rwanda, la fin du silence”
A Thesis, also in France, prominent advocate. Among them, the former army officer, Guillaume Ancel, who was in Rwanda, and last year published his memoirs, entitled: “Rwanda – the end of silence”. His Position: France was to be military Intervention in Rwanda as a humanitarian Mission, not to have to confess that it is the genocide that is supported. The non-governmental organisation Survie, the power against the neo-colonial aspirations of France strong, even goes a step further. France have played in 1994, an active role by the offender, still armed, as the evidence for the planned murders became more frequent, and carry a share of the blame, according to a study of Survie, which is based on publicly available documents.
President Macron, in turn, appointed at the beginning of April a Commission of experts, to get insights into the hitherto closed archives. A concession in Rwanda positive note, and for which the country has to offer its cooperation. Prerequisite: The Commission should adhere to its mandate, to focus on the role of France, as Secretary of state Nduhungirehe: “The Commission was established because there was a Problem, because France has intervened, and before, during and after the genocide, the perpetrators supported.”
One-sided criticism of France, “unjust”
However, it is sufficient to illuminate the role of France? Or, should that not also be considered the implications of other actors? At least that is the view of the former Rwandan diplomat and politician Jean-Marie Vianney Ndagijimana. He was in the decisive years of the escalating conflict, 1990 to 1994 – Rwanda’s Ambassador in Paris. As Paul Kagame’s Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) after the genocide took Power, he became the first foreign Minister of the new government. Later it came to the break, Ndagijimana went into French exile.
France use in Rwanda has been described as a humanitarian Mission. Political motives had been concealed
It is very important to learn more about the participation of France in the conflict between the RPF and the then government of President Juvenal Habyarimana, says Ndagijimana Interview in the DW. “France was the only country that mixed in Rwanda on the one side or the other.” So should be investigated, which support the Tutsi rebels from Uganda, but also from the UK and the USA, were. “The RPF had modern weapons. It must be on the table, who has helped the government and who has helped the RPF, why that happened, and to what extent this was legitimate.”
The role of the RPF
In particular, the performance of the French soldiers should be recognised, says the former Ambassador. The widely expressed massive criticism of Operation Turquoise, he does not share: “It is the greatest injustice in the history of Rwanda, accused the people who have saved the population, to have failed.” After the murder, the Survivors of the “Zone Turquoise would have been composed” songs to the praise of the French and the sung, from a complicity of France, even years later – at least officially – not a speech.
Until the day when a French judge’s investigation against Paul Kagame and his environment began. That was in 2006. It should be clarified whether Kagame’s people had shot down the plane of President Habyarimana. The assassination attempt of July 6. April 1994 is regarded as the trigger of the genocide. A Rwandan Commission in its report four years later, the Hutu Regime responsible for the Downing.
“Immediately after the summons for Kagame and his Team, the government called on the Survivors, she will never sing again the praise of France and the French as their Savior to represent,” said Ndagijimana. It is the beginning of the French-Rwandan ice age. This is hardly surprising, because this type of Thesis argument available, the bombers would have taken the escalation and also the genocide approvingly, in order to justify the RPF’s invasion of Rwanda. There is a suspicion that the government in Kigali decided to reject.
The crash of Habyarimanas aircraft has been extensively investigated with different results
The studies of the 6. April 1994, remained without result. The Rwandan leadership has never disappeared, appeared in court, the potential burden on witnesses. In December 2018, the case was set, and thus a stumbling block in the bilateral relations out of the way cleared. However, there are open questions: As a Rwandan Ambassador, he had asked the RPF to allow international Intervention, says Ndagijimana of the DW. He was on the RPF representative in Belgium and Canada, a message to the Hutu army and the RPF leadership sent with the request to arrange a truce to stop the killings.
“They said: ‘It does not concern us, if there Tutsi to be murdered. We want to bring the Tutsi back, and are fled. The ones that are left, have done that in the intention to support President Habyarimana.’” The same would be said of the rebels after the UN special representative for Rwanda, Roméo Dallaire. This writes in his book “Shake Hands with the Devil” by Kagame’s “pragmatic” attitude and quotes him with the words: “If they must be killed for the cause, then you will be as a part of the victim be considered.”
Two years and mixed hopes for a Commission
Vincent Duclert head of the new French Commission
Nine experts have now gained insight into the French archives, which were 25 years closed. The majority are historians, genocide researcher and archival expert. Experts on the history of Rwanda not to be found among these professionals. With good reason, says Commission head Vincent Duclert, an expert on the genocide in Armenia. “The community of researchers on Rwanda is heavily polarized,” said Duclert in the DW-Interview. With the selection to prevent that the work of the Commission was overshadowed by confrontations.
The rapt observers now expect the appointment of an international scientific Committee, to embody as the counter-part of the Commission’s regional expertise. Well-known experts and key witnesses should place before the Commission, testimony, Duclert. He also asks that the Commission had to present their results to the Committee. A President of the Committee could be appointed in the next few weeks, the other members are to be announced in the autumn. The results of the Commission are to finally, and also relevant archive material to the Public, made available to be published. So you’ll get a deeper understanding of the French role in Rwanda, hopes Duclert. “On this Basis, Emmanuel Macron will be able to keep in two years, the speech that had been expected for this year’s 25-year-old memory of him.”