1994 genocide in Rwanda: Macron admits France could have stopped massacres

#World News
1994 genocide in Rwanda: Macron admits France could have stopped massacres

Loveworld / 28 mins

April 12, 2024

1 min read

As Kigali gears up to mark a painful anniversary.
French President Emmanuel Macron has acknowledged that France and its western and African partners had the capacity to prevent the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, where approximately 800,000 people, mainly Tutsis, were killed. In a forthcoming video message marking the 30th anniversary of the genocide, Macron will stress that when the systematic slaughter of Tutsis commenced, the international community possessed both the awareness and capability to intervene.
Macron’s message underscores that by the time of the genocide, the global community had already confronted genocides such as the Holocaust during World War II and the mass atrocities against Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War I. He will assert that France, along with its allies, had the capacity to intervene but lacked the determination to do so.
While Macron will not be present in Kigali for the genocide commemorations alongside Rwandan President Paul Kagame, France will be represented by its Foreign Minister, Stéphane Séjourné.