UPDATED ON:
Thursday, August 07, 2008
15:07 Mecca time, 12:07 GMT
 
News Africa
Rwanda accuses France of genocide

Paris and Kigali continuously blame each other for the atrocities committed in 1994 [File: AFP]

Rwanda has accused France of having an active, direct role in the African country's 1994 genocide in which 800,000 people were killed.

A report commissioned by the Rwandan government named 33 senior French military and political figures, among them Dominique de Villepin, the former prime minister, and Francois Mitterrand the late former president, who it said should be prosecuted.

It also accused French troops of directly taking part in the slaughter.

"The French support was of a political, military, diplomatic and logistic nature," the report said. 

"Considering the gravity of the alleged facts, the Rwandan government asks competent authorities to undertake all necessary actions to bring the accused French political and military leaders to answer for their acts before justice."

Andrew Tusabe, the acting charge d'affaires for the Rwandan embassy in Washington, told Al Jazeera the report exposed French complicity at the highest levels.

"If you go to the report you will see for yourself how communication was done from the top leadership in Paris to the embassy in Kigali and how different people who had a role in the genocide were housed at the embassy residence," he said.

'Protected genocidal forces'

Tharcisse Karugarama, Rwanda's justice minister, said the report also highlighted "the role played by France in the aftermath to protect the genocidal forces and make it very difficult for them to be apprehended and brought to justice".

The report accused the French of helping to train the Hutus, the ethnic group blamed for the slaughter of 800,000 people, and for forcing hundreds of thousands more to flee their homes.

"This should be clear that this report will not go lie down, put in store somewhere. This report will be used. It will help in bringing to justice, making very serious attempts to bring to justice people who were involved in committing genocide in this country," Tharcisse said.

Along with Mitterrand and de Villepin, others listed include Alain Juppe, a former foreign minister who is also a senior figure in the party of Nicolas Sarkozy, the French president, and Edouard Balladur, a former prime minister. Another suspect is Hubert Vedrine who, like Balladur, is a senior politician.

'Not impartial'

The French government said on Tuesday that the findings of the report were neither independent nor legitimate.

The report accused 33 senior French military officials and politicians of complicity [AFP]
Questioned on the report's conclusions, the French defence ministry reiterated its official position as set out in a statement made in 2007, which claimed the inquiry had "no guarantee of independence or impartiality".
  
The original statement had declared that "France assumes full  responsibility for its actions in Rwanda in 1994, especially those of its armed forces".
  
It also stressed its support for the International Criminal Court, but said the Rwandan inquiry had no "independence or impartiality" because its stated remit was to "gather evidence of the involvement of the French state" in the genocide.
  
The inquiry also had "no legitimacy nor competence" to conduct interviews on French soil because it had broken off diplomatic relations with France in November 2006.
   
Paul Kagame, the Rwandan president, cut ties with France in November 2006 in protest at a French judge's call for him to stand trial over the death of his predecessor, Juvenal Habyarimana, in April 1994 - an event widely seen as unleashing the genocide.

That call prompted street protests in Kigali.

Relations soured further after the Rwandan commission later heard accounts from victims who said they were raped by French soldiers after seeking refuge with them during the genocide.

'Not payback'

Tusabe, the acting charge d'affaires in Washington, rejected accusations that the Rwanda report was simply payback for the French judge's ruling.

Rwanda set up the commission in April 2006 to investigate France's role in the genocide before the judge issued indictments in November, he told Al Jazeera.

"This report, now that it's out, it shows all of the individuals in the France government that were involved in the genocide."

Ties between the two nations have improved in recent months after Kagame met Sarkozy at a European Union-Africa summit in Lisbon in December 2007 but the latest report is bound to strain relations once again.

 Source: Al Jazeera and agencies
Feedback Number of comments : 10
 
Vusi
South Africa
06/08/2008
Enslaving countries Vs Africa
This is a proof That "white" countries relation with Africa are relation of oppressors and oppressed, these countries impose their puppet, impose civil wars, impose genocides just to preserve their "white" supremacy alive and make sure the African people never move foward. Africa this is time to end their madness.

M R Haffajee
Afghanistan
06/08/2008
French involvement in Rwanda genocide
I suppose as a nation the Rwandans cannot accept the fact that the butchering of their own people was done by themselves. The French military are now responsible for holding up the arms of the butchers and directing them on who to kill! What next?

Jake
China
06/08/2008
Hypocrisy
France committed much more atrocities in Africa than anyone else on the planet. Making mischeif among ethnical tribes serving their own interest of exploiting and partitioning Africa. Abetting extremists' slaughter on the anti-colony groups. Their so called "Liberty, Equity and Fraternity" is nothing but a sham, when it comes to their maleficence, the sarcastic french choose to look the other way or cover it with a tatter written"Illegitimacy".

Saleh Al Kindy
Oman
06/08/2008
ABOVE THE LAW
The claim of the Rwandan government has all the ingredients of "truthfulness" in the sense that the French had their soldiers in the country before, during and after the genocide. The French are conspirators with a green light from Washington. However, the West are yet to be under he law. According to Western civilisation, the criminal is innocent and the victim is the criminal.

Thadeo Nsabimana
United States
07/08/2008
Role is in Rwandan genocide exposed
Congratulations to the Mr Mucyo and his team. Now the role of the French in the 1994 Rwandan genocide has been exposed. It is now lies upon the international community to bring those exposed to justice. Genocide is an international crime and so Rwandan justice should not be left alone to deal with the cases .

David smith
United Kingdom
07/08/2008
France genocide role
If there is true justice in this world then France as a democratic country will have to answer questions about its role in the Ruwanda genocide which has become a shame int he eyes of the world, the ICC will have to investigate more and bring individuals to book. I think we Europeans need to make sure impunity is not supported , we have to uphold the tradition of justice and human rights in this world by leading the way, i suggest France apologize for its role and put the accusers on trail.

joe
Canada
07/08/2008
I don't doubt certain colonial powers did, and still do, lots of evil in Africa, but accusing all whites of participating, will only cause the white people who try to help in your fight to turn their backs on you. Racism stops with you, with me, with each one of us. it's easy to blame others, how about takin action and responsibility for your own faith??

TESAR VABIANTO
Indonesia
06/08/2008
WHITE SUPREMACY
WHENEVER " WHITE NATIONS " HAVE MADE A BIG MISTAKE LIKE THEIR INVOLVEMENT IN SUCH MASS DESTRUCTIONS OR EVEN WORSE , GENOCIDE , THEY NEVER GET ANY TRIAL. THE WORLD CREATING A NEW RACIAL HATRED IN A NEW FORM . AND WE PREFER TO ACCEPT IT ?

Michael
Malaysia
06/08/2008
Indonesia
It's time for people to start making change by starting with themselves instead of trying to blame others: white, black, yellow, muslim, jewish, communist, etc... RIP the innocent people who are murdered by power hungry and angry mobs. RIP innocent civilians murdered in Rwanda and around the globe.

gali
Afghanistan
06/08/2008
you can't bring to justice those who are untouchable. Therefore, forget this so-called international court which has been created for the sole purpose of punishing those who refuse to obey to their masters. Belief in this worldly justice is all nonsense.

 
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