Africa

France shuns commemoration ceremony of Rwanda genocide

357379_Rwanda-genocideFrance says it will not attend commemorations of the Rwandan genocide over allegations by Rwanda President Paul Kagame that had a “direct role” in the massacre.

French Foreign Ministry spokesperson Romain Nadal said on Saturday that French Justice Minister Christiane Taubira, who had been due to travel to Rwanda on Monday, would not attend the commemorations in the capital city of Kigali.

“France regrets that it cannot take part in the 20th anniversary commemorations for the genocide,” he said.

Nadal said France was “surprised” by the allegations, adding that claims by the Rwandan president were against reconciliation efforts that have gone on for several years between the two countries.

In an interview with the weekly Jeune Afrique last month, due to be published later today, Kagame denounced France and Belgium for involvement in the 1994 genocide, when the ethnic majority Hutus killed some 800,000 people, mainly minority Tutsis, during a span of 100 days.

“Both France and Belgium had played a direct role in the political preparation of the genocide and the participation of the latter in its very execution,” Kagame stated.

France, however, has repeatedly denied involvement in the genocide, despite findings by Rwanda’s MUCYO commission of inquiry in 2008, according to which France had trained the militias that carried out killings.

Relations between Kigali and Paris were completely frozen from 2006 to 2009.

The tainted relations between the two countries, however, have improved notably since last month, when in a landmark ruling, France sentenced former Rwandan army captain Pascal Simbikangwa to 25 years in prison for his role in the massacre.

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