Emmanuel Macron is expected in Rwanda on Thursday, with the ambition to normalize bilateral relations poisoned by the role played by France in the genocide of the Tutsis in 1994.
During this moment of "special solemnity" according to the Elysee Palace, he will deliver a long-awaited speech addressing in particular the "survivors" of this genocide, which killed more than 800,000 people.
Some associations are waiting for the president to express, on behalf of France, "apologies" for the role played by Paris.
An apology that Thierry Vircoulon, associate researcher at the French Institute of International Relations, considers “probable”.
Eleven years after Nicolas Sarkozy, it is Emmanuel Macron's turn to go to Kigali, as of Thursday and for two days, to deliver a speech on the genocide of the Tutsis in Rwanda, which left more than 800,000 dead in 1994 .
This time, Emmanuel Macron hopes to definitively normalize bilateral relations between Paris and Kigali, poisoned by the role played by France in the Rwandan genocide.
Does this historic visit, twenty-seven years after the events, sign a renewal in the relationship between France and Rwanda?
To understand this,
20 Minutes
interviewed Thierry Vircoulon, associate researcher at the Africa center of the French Institute of International Relations (Ifri).
Why is this visit happening now?
On March 27, at the initiative of Emmanuel Macron, the historian Vincent Duclert submitted a report on the role of France in the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. It details the involvement of the government of the time, that of François Mitterrand, in the policy which led to the Rwandan genocide.
If this report rules out the question of France's complicity, it recognizes the responsibility of the government of the time.
It's a first.
There have been other reports before, but it had not been done in such an objective, impartial manner.
This visit is in a way the conclusion, the culmination of this report.
Have there been other French steps in recent years to normalize relations?
Yes, some made it possible to relax relations between Paris and Kigali, making this visit possible.
In recent years, a number of Rwandans linked to the genocide who were in France have been arrested.
Previously, little had been done on French territory in terms of arrests.
From now on, French justice is very interested in it.
At the beginning of April, France also opened to the public important archives of the government of François Mitterrand over this period, between 1990 and 1994. It is the combination of these efforts, such as the Vincent Duclert report and the numerous arrests, which have allowed this rapprochement to begin.
What can we expect from this visit?
Given that Emmanuel Macron should take up the conclusion of Vincent Duclert's report, it is quite likely that he officially apologizes for France's responsibility for the 1994 genocide. But this visit is also the occasion to open a new chapter.
The time for resuming cooperation has come.
This visit could also be accompanied by economic contracts or diplomatic agreements, in particular on the return of a French ambassador to Kigali, where the post has been vacant since 2015. It will not change much, but it is symbolic.
Is this visit historic?
Yes she is.
Relations between France and Rwanda have been strained for twenty-seven years.
They are now in the process of normalization.
It is the first time that a French president will go there, in Kigali, since the genocide, to deliver a speech on the responsibility of France and perhaps even to apologize.
Even if Paul Kagamé said he was not asking for them, Kigali obviously expects an official apology from France.
Now is the time to do it.
Emmanuel Macron could be the first to succeed in clearing the inventory of this heavy past.
Why have relations between France and Rwanda never relaxed?
Until now, even though France has taken a few steps towards Rwanda, there has never been any official recognition of the responsibility of the government of François Mitterrand.
From now on, it is done.
We now have an official report which indicates that France bears "heavy and overwhelming responsibilities" in the tragedy, in particular by being "blind to the preparation" of the genocide.
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