French President Emmanuel Macron made a significant statement on Thursday, admitting that France and its allies could have prevented the 1994 Rwanda genocide but lacked the necessary determination to do so. This declaration comes as Rwanda prepares to mark the 30th anniversary of the tragic event that claimed the lives of over 800,000 people.
Macron's office announced that the President will release a video on social media on Sunday, coinciding with Rwanda's commemoration of the genocide. In the video, Macron explicitly states that France, along with its Western and African partners, had the capacity to intervene but failed to act decisively.
During a visit to Rwanda in 2021, Macron acknowledged France's 'responsibility' in the genocide, which primarily targeted ethnic Tutsis and Hutus who tried to protect them. While he did not issue a formal apology, Rwandan President Paul Kagame indicated a positive shift in France-Rwanda relations following French efforts to reconcile.
The Rwandan government has long accused France of complicity in the genocide. Macron's administration has taken steps to address this, including commissioning a report on France's role in the genocide and opening archives from that period to the public.
In his upcoming video message, Macron will highlight that the international community had the knowledge and means to intervene during the genocide, drawing on lessons from past atrocities like the Armenian genocide and the Holocaust. He will reaffirm France's solidarity with Rwanda and its people, honoring the memory of the victims.
France will be represented at the genocide commemoration in Kigali by Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné, as Macron will be attending World War II commemorations in France on the same day. In recent years, France has intensified efforts to apprehend and prosecute genocide suspects, with a Paris court sentencing a Rwandan doctor to 24 years in prison in December, marking the sixth case related to the Rwandan genocide to be tried in France over the past decade.
