Rwanda marks 30 years since France's contested mission to stem 1994 genocide

Refugees pass a French soldier in the west of Rwanda on 12 July 1994, during the UN mission Operation Turquoise. The intervention was supposed to establish safe zones for refugees, but has been accused of helping killers to escape. © AFP - PASCAL GUYOT

This Saturday marks a milestone for Rwanda: 30 years since Operation Turquoise, the controversial French-led military intervention launched in the final weeks of the 1994 genocide. The anniversary revives questions over France's role in the events of 1994, and the diplomatic tensions between Paris and Kigali that have marked the decades since.

Launched on 22 June 1994 with a mandate from the United Nations, Operation Turquoise saw some 2,500 mostly French troops deployed to establish "safe zones" for Rwandans fleeing the killing.