Macron says France and allies 'could have stopped' the Rwandan genocide

President Emmanuel Macron believes France and its Western and African allies "could have stopped" Rwanda's 1994 genocide, but lacked the will to halt the slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, the presidency has said.

Macron expressed the view in a video message to be published on Sunday to mark the 30th anniversary of the genocide, which was carried out by Hutu extremists and lasted 100 days.

He will not be travelling to Rwanda to attend commemorations in Kigali alongside President Paul Kagame.

France will instead be represented by Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné.

Macron's message will emphasise that "when the phase of total extermination against the Tutsis began, the international community had the means to know and act", a French presidential official said, asking not to be named.

The president believes that at the time, the international community already had historical experience of witnessing genocide with the Holocaust in World War II and the mass killings of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey during World War I.

Macron will say that "France, which could have stopped the genocide with its Western and African allies, did not have the will" to do so, the official added.

'One more step'

Macron had already recognised France's "responsibilities" in the genocide during a visit to Rwanda in 2021 – adding only the survivors could grant "the gift of forgiveness".

(with AFP)

Read more on RFI English

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