UPDATE: Rwanda Formally Accuses Senior French Officials

by Sarah Benczik
Impunity Watch Reporter, Europe

KIGALI, Rwanda – The Rwandan government has officially called for French authorities to be brought to justice for their involvement in the Rwandan genocide.  In a report published at the end of a two-year inquiry into France’s role in the 1994 genocide, commission members allege that “the French support was of a political, military, diplomatic and logistic nature. . . 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.”  The commission attached a list of 33 accused French political and military officials to the report. 

Among those listed are former Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin and the late President Francoise Mitterand, as well as then Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, a senior figure in current President Nicolas Sarkozy's party and Edouard Balladur and Hubert Vedrine, both current senior French politicians.

Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama presented the report to the press in Kigali.  A statement released by the justice ministry after the release of the report stated that "French forces directly assassinated Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis... French forces committed several rapes on Tutsi survivors." The statement also alleged that the French military and humanitarian Operation Turquoise abetted the killings perpetrated by the extremist Interahamwe Hutu militia.

An official at the French Foreign Ministry told Reuters that the French government had not yet received any official communication from Kigali and so could not comment.

For more information, please see:

AFP – France took part in genocide: Rwandan report – 5 August 2008

Reuters - Rwanda accuses France directly over ’94 genocide – 5 August 2008