Rwanda: Paul Kagame brushes aside the controversy over Emmanuel Macron's comments on the Tutsi genocide
The day after the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis in 1994 in Rwanda, President Paul Kagame held a press conference on Monday April 8 in the morning in the capital Kigali. He reacted to the comments of French President Emmanuel Macron, who, during a video, insisted on the need to “
look the past in the face
”, without however returning to the quote sent by the presidency to the press, indicating that France “
could have stopped the genocide
”. Communication looks more and more like a hiccup in the communication of the Élysée.
Rwanda's President Paul Kagame gives a press conference at the Kigali Convention Center in Kigali, Rwanda, Monday, April 8, 2024. © Brian Inganga/AP
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Even if he did not make the
trip to Kigali on Sunday April 7 for the events
, French President Emmanuel Macron joined the commemorations of the 30th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide via a video message. This message was in line with that delivered in the Rwandan capital on May 27, 2021, when he recognized
France's “
overwhelming
” responsibility in the genocide against the Tutsi. He insisted on the need to “
look the past in the face
”,
But this Sunday communication makes no mention of the quote sent by the Élysée last Thursday to the press.
Thursday April 4, the communications services of the Élysée sent to the media a text which is supposed to reflect the content of the message that
French President Emmanuel Macron is to deliver
on the occasion of the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsis. “
The Head of State will recall that France, which could have stopped the genocide with its allies, did not have the will
. » These
are strong words
which mark a further step in the recognition of French responsibility and the media do not hesitate to give them wide coverage.
What happened ? Can we talk about a real backpedal or a simple communication error? A source at the Élysée began to invoke “
an overinterpretation
” of his words two days later
: indeed, Emmanuel Macron did not include them in his video broadcast during the commemorations on Sunday April 7. He declares “
to have said everything
” during his speech in Kigali in 2021: he recognized the “
responsibilities
” of France, in the abandonment of “
hundreds of thousands of victims
”.
Paul Kagame wants to “
focus on the good things
” without paying attention to the controversy
In his press conference on Monday April 8 in the morning, Rwandan President Paul Kagame reacted to the controversy by brushing it aside: “
The relationship between Rwanda and France
has been good in recent days
, (…) I focus on the good things that can happen if we make progress.
»
As far as I am concerned, the relationship between Rwanda and France has been good in recent days. I heard about this contradiction, this statement, like that, watered down. But I focus on the good things that can happen if we make progress. We are always willing to continue to make progress, regardless of the bad history we have experienced.
00:37
Paul Kagame prefers to “focus on the good things that can happen if we make progress”, despite the controversy surrounding Emmanuel Macron’s communication
Lucie Mouillaud
Read alsoRwanda: rebuilding society, 30 years after the genocide
Controversy among the François Mitterrand Institute and associations
The François Mitterrand Institute, guardian of the memory of the man who was the French president during the genocide,
has stepped up to the plate
. In a press release, he denounces “
hazardous communication, as well as the absence of a clear denial
” of comments attributed to President Emmanuel Macron. The press release also ensures that France's action has been guided since 1990 by "
its desire to prevent a catastrophe
" in Rwanda and calls on Emmanuel Macron to quickly clarify his position: "
France's credibility on the scene is at stake. international
,” he says.
For its part, the French association Survie castigated a video which remains frozen, according to it, “
on the words spoken lip service in 2021
”: “
For the Vel d’hiv roundup, it took 50 years for the State officially recognizes that France was complicit in genocide. For the genocide of the Tutsi, there too, recognition is inevitable
,” she commented.
Finally, the Historian Vincent Duclert, who chaired a commission which produced a historic report on the “
heavy and overwhelming
” responsibilities of France in this genocide, believes that there is “
no retreat
” between the two messages. He speaks of “
a new advance in the uncompromising study of the past
” and “
welcomes to see Macron calling for continued research
” on the issue.
Read alsoRwanda, 30 years after the Tutsi genocide: Godeliève Mukasarasi, a life of commitment for women victims of sexual violence [6/6]
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30 years of the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda
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Emmanuel Macron
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