FRANCE
The Stupid Defense
A commission of historians said that France bears “heavy and overwhelming responsibilities” over its role in the 1994 Rwandan genocide but cleared it of complicity in the massacre, the Associated Press reported.
In a report released over the weekend, the commission found in a two-year investigation that the government of then-President Francois Mitterrand reacted too slowly to genocide because it realized too late the extent of the slaughter that killed at least 800,000.
However, it ruled out any “complicity in genocide,” including accusations that France sent weapons to Rwanda after the start of genocide.
President Emmanuel Macron established the commission in May 2019, saying the inquiry is aimed at improving relations with Rwanda and other African nations that have questioned France’s role in the massacre.
It’s unclear to what extent will the report improve relations between the two nations but the Rwandan government hailed the report as “an important step toward a common understanding of France’s role in the genocide.”
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