Macron says France could have stopped Rwanda genocide
PARIS — President Emmanuel Macron said on Thursday that France and its allies could have stopped the 1994 Rwanda genocide but lacked the will to do so, a strong declaration ahead of the African country’s 30th anniversary of the slaughter that left more than 800,000 people dead.
Macron’s office said he will release a video on social media on Sunday as Rwanda marks the solemn commemoration of the genocide.
In the video, Macron says that “France, which could have stopped the genocide with its Western and African allies, lacked the will to do so.”
In 2021 during a visit to the central African country, Macron acknowledged France’s responsibility in the genocide that left over 800,000 people dead, mainly ethnic Tutsis and the Hutus who tried to protect them. Macron stopped short of making an official apology, but President Paul Kagame of Rwanda signaled that a page had been turned in FranceRwanda ties. The Rwandan government has long accused France of enabling the genocide.
In Sunday’s video, Macron will reaffirm that “France stands by Rwanda and the Rwandan people.”