Africa-Press – Rwanda. French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwandan President Paul Kagame inaugurated a memorial in Paris to honor the victims of the genocide committed in 1994 against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Paul Kagame delivered a speech addressing Emmanuel Macron directly, stating: “Taking responsibility for one’s historical actions requires true courage, as it provokes strong opposition from those who will be held accountable for their actions. It also requires great humanity to accomplish this. Mr. President Macron, I would like to congratulate you on both: your courage and your humanity.” Kagame added, “France was not the only country that failed. Many other countries also failed, but none reached this extent (…) in uncovering the truth and acknowledging their responsibility for this tragedy.”
The Rwandan President praised the risk taken by the French President in 2021 when he acknowledged France’s responsibility, stating that “it could have stopped the genocide but lacked the will.” Kagame has not forgotten these words. “I consider these statements more valuable than an apology; they are the truth,” he affirmed on June 2.
Macron stated: “It now commemorates the Tutsi genocide in Rwanda in the heart of our capital and our history. It is the culmination of long efforts and persistent patience in the pursuit of truth, which we have all embraced, based on decades of testimonies, writings, research, and diligent mobilization.”
In May 2021, during a visit to Rwanda, Macron acknowledged his country’s responsibility for the genocide and expressed hope for forgiveness, seeking to reset relations after years of Rwandan accusations of France’s complicity in the 1994 massacre that claimed an estimated 800,000 lives, mostly Tutsi, although he did not offer a formal apology.
This followed a report by a commission formed by Macron in March 2021, which concluded that France had overlooked the truth due to its colonial stance towards the events leading up to the genocide, and that it bore “serious and significant” responsibility for failing to anticipate the massacre.
The memorial, located on the banks of the Seine River in the heart of Paris, is called “The Archive” and was designed by Portuguese artist Grada Kilomba. It consists of two black slabs inscribed in honor of the hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children who were subjected to the massacre between April and July 1994.
