Emmanuel Macron’s visit to Rwanda on Thursday 27 May is presented by the Élysée as the final step in the “normalization” of relations between Paris and Kigali, which has begun in recent years. Conditions were poisoned by the thorny issue of the role played by France during the 1994 genocide of the Tutsis, which several heads of state had previously tried to reassure. Without much success until recently.
Among Emmanuel Macron’s predecessors, only one French head of state made the trip to Kigali: Nicolas Sarkozy, 2010. Four years earlier, while Jacques Chirac was still president of France, Paul Kagame had severed diplomatic ties with Paris to protest. against the investigation of Judge Bruguière, who involved several of his relatives in the attack on President Juvénal Habyarimana’s plane, which occurred on 6 April 1994.
A short-lived ornate under Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas sarkozy, who succeeded Jacques Chirac in 2007, wanted to turn this page around. At a press conference in Kigali on February 25, 2010, he acknowledged “political errors” and a “form of blindness from France” in Rwanda. During the trial, Paul Kagame was received in Paris. But the improvement was short-lived.
In 2014, ahead of the celebration of the 20 years of genocide, Paul Kagame shoots red balls again. In an interview, the Rwandan president throws “France’s direct role in preparation for the genocide “and even” his participation “in the” execution “.
An approach was resumed with Emmanuel Macron
Upon arrival at the Elysee Palace in 2017, Emmanuel Macron resumed work on rapprochement between the two countries and continued in small steps. After an initial interview in September 2017, he invited Paul Kagame to Paris eight months later, for a show dedicated to new technology. The French president then tries to start a rapprochement with his Rwandan counterpart on topics of common interest: new technology therefore, but also the environment, gender equality …
At the same time, France supports the initiatives taken by Paul Kagame as the current President of the African Union. The warming is such that in October 2018, Paris supports the candidacy of Louise Mushikiwabo, the then Rwandan Foreign Minister, as head of the International Organization of Francophonie (OIF).
► To read also: Rwanda: in Kigali, the words of French President Emmanuel Macron are eagerly awaited
The importance of the Duclert Commission
Six months later, a new step: on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Tutsi genocide, Emmanuel Macron announces a strengthening of the judicial and police resources to prosecute suspected genocide in France. Above all, it formalizes creation of a commission of historians responsible for highlighting France’s role in the genocide.
This Duclert Commission ended two years later with heavy and overwhelming responsibility for Paris. Meanwhile, a new accusation with a very political profile has been appointed to the French embassy. And the French Development Agency has resumed its action in Rwanda, a sign of the beginning of a normalization of relations between the two countries. This long-term work may culminate in Emmanuel Macron’s speech on Thursday at the Gisozi Genocide Memorial.
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