Global Insider: Specter of Genocide Still Hangs Over France-Rwanda Relations
By The Editors, on April 23, 2014, Global Insider
The 20th anniversary of Rwanda's 1994 genocide this month was marked
by the re-emergence of tensions between France and Rwanda, after
Rwandan President Paul Kagame claimed that France bore some
responsibility for the genocide.* In an email interview, Bruno
Charbonneau, associate professor of political science at Laurentian
University and the director of the Center for Peace and Humanitarian
Missions Studies at Universite du Quebec a Montreal, Canada, explained
the continuing tensions in France-Rwanda ties.
WPR: To what extent have France and Rwanda succeeded at repairing ties
in the past few years?
Bruno Charbonneau: The two sides were talking, but the relationship
was always sensitive and prone to diplomatic tension. There has not
been much substance to the relationship, except perhaps for the
occasional cooperation—or tense negotiation—on issues of mutual
interest, like the extradition or judgment of those accused of
committing genocide in Rwanda, the fact that Rwanda is now a
nonpermanent member of the U.N. Security Council, ad hoc responses to
African crises—as with the Central African Republic, where Rwanda
deployed military troops—and so on. But the specter of the genocide
never went away.
WPR: How is the recent dispute about French complicity in the Rwandan
genocide likely to affect progress made so far?
Charbonneau: The progress was always relative and should not be
overstated. Ten years ago, Rwandan President Paul Kagame similarly
attacked France for its role during the genocide. In a sense, such
quarrels will most likely continue, and the 2014 dispute constitutes
another bump on the road to reconciliation. Any true reconciliation or
"normalization" of the relationship is highly unlikely as long as the
French and Rwandan actors who were active during the genocide remain
in power or politically influential.
WPR: What are the potential areas for further progress in the
bilateral relationship?
Charbonneau: There are two conditions that will continue to work
against any form of substantial progress, and they are closely
related. First, the situation in Rwanda is not as stable as many
people claim. Kagame is rapidly losing both internal and external
support. Kagame's once-close Rwandan and regional supporters are now
challenging him, while both the British and American governments have
shown significant impatience with his regime. In a move that was
unthinkable just five years ago, Washington and London are
re-examining their ties to the Kagame regime in light of its regional
activities, notably in the Congo. In this context, blaming France can
serve Kagame. It deflects attention. It feeds the guilt of the
international community. This guilt has served Kagame well in the
past, and he surely hopes that it will serve him again.
Second, the fact that France will not recognize its role in the
genocide; that it will not apologize like Belgium, the United States
and the United Nations did; that it will not hold a commission of
inquiry into French decision-making and actions in Rwanda between 1990
and 1994; and that many French politicians and military personnel are
still publicly anti-Kagame does not bode well for further progress in
the bilateral relationship. If France was to officially apologize and
recognize its role in the genocide, it could go a long way toward
reconciliation, because it would blunt the force of Kagame's guilt
rhetoric. However, in the near future this is very unlikely, because
for France to officially acknowledge some form of fault means French
politicians and military officers potentially facing criminal charges.
* Editor's note: An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated
the length of time since the Rwandan genocide; it has been 20 years,
not 30. WPR regrets the error.
http://www.worldpoliticsreview.com/trend-lines/13726/global-insider-specter-of-genocide-still-hangs-over-france-rwanda-relations

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