Emmanuel Macron, France President
The President of France, Emmanuel Macron has conceded guilt and said the France government bears responsibility for the 1994 genocide in Rwanda.
Macron admitted France, which colonized the Eastern country, failed the 800,000 victims of the genocide.
He however did not apologize for the role in the genocide while speaking on Thursday in his recent visit to Rwanda,
France “was not an accomplice” in the genocide but ended up siding with Rwanda’s “genocidal regime” and bore an “overwhelming responsibility” in the slide toward the massacres, the French leader said, speaking Thursday at the genocide memorial in the capital, Kigali.
“France has a role, a history and a political responsibility in Rwanda. It has a duty: That of looking history in the face and recognizing the suffering that it inflicted on the Rwandan people by favoring silence over the examination of truth for too long,” Macron said.
When the genocide started, “the international community took close to three months, three interminable months, before reacting and we, all of us, abandoned hundreds of thousands of victims.”
France’s failures contributed to “27 years of bitter distance” between the two countries, he said.
“I have to come to recognize our responsibilities,” Macron said.
Reacting to Macron’s speech, Rwandan President Paul Kagame appreciated his French counterpart for a “powerful speech”
Kagame suggested the visit is to build a stronger diplomatic relationship between both countries.
“This visit is about the future, not the past,” Kagame said, adding that he and Macron discussed a range of issues, including investment and support for businesses.
Macron said they were opening “a new page” and rebuilding ties that are “strong and irreversible.” He said that he asked to be able to appoint a French ambassador to Rwanda, after six years where France has been without one in the country.
The French President added that he was in the country with 100,000 coronavirus vaccines.
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