'Rwanda genocide made in France'

This video is called The Battle of Algiers: trailer.

6 August 2008.

Often, mainstream media pundits cite atrocities like the 1994 Rwanda massacre as “proof” that Africans (or Iraqis, Yugoslavs, etc. etc.) are supposedly inherently cruel and uncivilized; and that there should be “humanitarian intervention” from rich Western countries.

Well, now it appears there was Western military intervention then … err… was it really “humanitarian”?

According to French news agency AFP:

France played an active role in the 1994 Rwanda genocide, a report unveiled Tuesday by the Rwandan government said, naming French political and military officials it says should be prosecuted.

The damning report accused a raft of top French politicians of involvement in the massacres, threatening to further mar relations between the two countries, which severed diplomatic ties in November 2006.

“French forces directly assassinated Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis… French forces committed several rapes on Tutsi survivors,” said a justice ministry statement released after the report was presented in Kigali.

The 500-page report alleged that France was aware of preparations for the genocide, contributed to planning the massacres and actively took part in the killing.

Dutch daily NRC Handelsblad, 6 August 2008, page 5, paper edition, writes:

French troops have even participated in “murdering and raping” Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

AFP continues:

It named former French prime minister Edouard Balladur, former foreign minister Alain Juppe and then-president Francois Mitterrand, who died in 1996, among 13 French politicians accused of playing a role in the massacres.

Dominique de Villepin, who was then Juppe’s top aide and later became prime minister, was also among those listed in the Rwandan report.

The report names 20 military officials as being responsible.

See also here. And here. And here.

Documents published by WikiLeaks reveal important details about the crimes committed by French imperialism in sub-Saharan Africa, particularly in Rwanda: here.

Two exiled Rwandan opposition parties say they will demonstrate against President Paul Kagame’s visit to France on 12-13 September: here.

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