Introduction

Rwanda holds France responsible for its role in enabling and indirectly supporting the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi for several significant reasons:

Historical Support for Hutu Regime

France actively supported the Hutu-led government of Juvénal Habyarimana against the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in the years leading up to the genocide. This support included:

Providing arms and military training to Habyarimana’s militias, the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, which were among the primary groups that carried out the genocide.

Signing the 1975 Franco-Rwandan Agreement, which included military cooperation and training of the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) by the French military.

Failure to Prevent Genocide

A report commissioned by the Rwandan government concluded that France “did nothing to stop” the massacres in April and May 1994. Specifically:

French officials had knowledge of preparations for the massacres yet continued to support Habyarimana’s government despite “warning signs”.

The report states that “The French government was neither blind nor unconscious about the foreseeable genocide”.

Post-Genocide Actions

After the genocide, Rwanda accuses France of:

Attempting to cover up its role in the events leading to the genocide.

Offering protection to some perpetrators of the genocide.

Establishing the Turquoise Zone, which, while saving some lives, also enabled many genocidal Hutus to safely escape to Zaire ahead of the advancing RPF forces.

French Acknowledgment

In recent years, France has begun to acknowledge its role:

A 2021 French report concluded that France bore “heavy and overwhelming responsibilities” for being “blind” to the preparations for genocide and reacting too slowly.

President Emmanuel Macron stated in 2021 that France could have “stopped the genocide” but lacked “the will” to do so.

Conclusion

While France maintains it was not directly complicit in the violence, its actions and inactions during this period have led Rwanda to hold it responsible for enabling the conditions that allowed the genocide to occur and for failing to intervene effectively to prevent or stop the massacres.