05 November 2008 - 18H55
French officers sue over genocide report
Ten officers who served on a French military mission to Rwanda in 1994 were named in an August report as having had a role in the country's genocide. The 10 filed a slander lawsuit on Tuesday against the Rwandan government.
Ten senior French officers filed suit against Rwanda for slander on Tuesday after a justice minister's report accused them of taking part in the 1994 genocide.
The five generals and five colonels served in Operation Turquoise, a French military mission to Rwanda in 1994 that has been marred by controversy over allegations that it helped Hutu genocide perpetrators.
The 10 including General Jean-Claude Lafourcade who commanded Operation Turquoise were named in a report released in August by Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama on France's alleged role in the genocide.
"These serious and unfounded accusations could not be left without a response," said Lafourcade in a statement.
"This is why 10 officers whose honour has been tarnished have decided to launch legal proceedings to counter these accusations in the courts of our country," he said.
The officers have filed suit for slander in a Paris court, saying the report accused them of "having fully taken charge of the genocidal campaign" through Operation Turquoise, according to Lafourcade.
The report alleges that France was aware of preparations for the genocide, contributed to planning the massacres and actively took part in the killing.
It names 13 senior politicians and 20 military officials as responsible and raises the prospect of Rwandan legal action against them.
Following its release on August 5, France rejected the allegations as "unacceptable".
Defence Minister Herve Morin said French soldiers had nothing to be ashamed of from their service in Rwanda.
At least 800,000 people died, mainly minority Tutsis and moderate Hutus, during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda, according to the United Nations.
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Comments (14)
where were the french when 1M tutsis were massacred?
I react with alot of annoyance over the arrest of a Rwandan government aide...Rose kabuye who has been arrested in Germany over the crash of Habyarimana s plane.This is totally unfair and unrealistic.First and foremost,where were the french when tutsis were being massacred in Rwanda in 1994????if anybody should be accused of being an accomplice in this genocide,its the French government.If 3 french men were killed in the crash,BIG DEAL!!!!how many tutsis were killed??what business do the french have in African issues anyway????why poke your nose where it does nt belong???if you do,then be ready for the consequences.We,Rwandans are totally disgusted with the French...if you accuse RPF of shooting down the plane,where is the evidence?????can you show this to the rest of the world?????The tutsis suffered for a long time as refugees outside their own country,why was nt anything done about that????
Most importantly,i would like the whole world to see how far Rwanda has come with Kagame as president.What the heck was Habyarimana doing with the country other than waste time with the French????
RELEASE ROSE KABUYE!!!!
I am also totally amazed at the Germany government also involving themselves in such utterly ridiculous affairs.People like Mugabe who have wrecked harvoc that is beyond repair are running scot free while innocent persons are being violated.Once again Free ROSE KABUYE!!!
1000000 deaths for what? It matters
Would France accept a US court deciding on if the US was guilty of alleged complicity in genocide?
Of course not. it is preposterous. Yet for France, it is natural and allegations are dismissed as "unacceptable".
1,000,000 deaths
- resulted from UN oil for food sanctions against Iraq. Result? Nothing
- resulted from the Rwandan genocide. What for? To protect French interests in the ongoing FrancAfrique policy run in secret from the Elysee? Who knows.
- resulted from the creation of the free Iraq we see today
Obama is here. The (racist) excuse has gone, the fox is shot. What will Europe do. Obama will ask you and there will be nowhere to hide. I expect he will very busy in Africa dont you?
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/09/opinion/09friedman.html?_r=1&ref=opini... Thomas Friedman addresses old Europe directly
International war crimes court to investigate Rwanda. And a search warrant for the Elysee. Foccart in the dock.
Even as the genocide was unfolding, reports of France's support for it began appearing in French newspapers. French soldiers who arrived in Rwanda believing that they had come to protect victims soon realized that they were, in fact, protecting killers, and several communicated their disgust to French journalists.
In 1995, President Jacques Chirac of France made a remarkably honest confession of his nation's guilt. "France ... delivered protected people to their horrors. These dark hours have sullied our history forever and are an insult to our past and our traditions."
Maybe, like the Dutch, a few medals all round are called for?
Who would defend you if you were attacked France? Why?
The french long time communists and perpetrators of attrocities
The French are the worst nation in the world, they're always pointing fingers at other countries for human rights and all that. In fact they are big hypocrites, there is no other countries that disrespect human rights more than France. French government owe haiti billions, and YES they did take part in the genocide in Rwanda, and they are also responsible for Aristide Kidnapping in Haiti. I have fellow brothers who were Aristide guards and where promised political asylum along with french papers to testify against Aristide and lie. When a person ask for refugee status in France based on the fact that the person is facing imminent danger in the country of origin do you know what the Government does? They say OK ma'am, please come back tomorrow to fill out this paper, and the next day when the lady comes back, she is arrested by the police and sent back to a country she was fleeing in fear of being killed, without any judgment anything. The French are disgusting to me.
Britain's support to invade Rwanda
The French soldiers are courageous. They went alone in Rwanda to save the lives of Tutsi. The British refused because they did not want to stop Kagame taking power by arms in Rwanda. The idea was that if Britain intervene then Kagame will not win the war. The British were confident that Kagame will win the war with the support of Uganda. Please remember Kagame and all RPF members were part of the Uganda’s army. Kagame was the Chief of Intelligence of Uganda’s army.
Shame
The world should not continue to be blinded by these stories of rwandians. Look what they are doing in Congo, 6000000 killed so far with the same generation of kagame, kabarebe, kinda, and so on. Only the french people have understood that rwandian lies can lead to ten times genocides, rape, and all sort of human right atrocities. Rwandian would use everything they can to try to overcome their poverty. The actual subject would be to name these people,and no to distract us with French officers who indeed would never feel touched by this nonsense of stories. What has Rwanda to offer to the world if not a bridge of expoitation of minerals in Congo. Yasmine you keep quiet. Your war with Hutu was yours. You being strongly supported by Uganda, ofcourse the French should intervene to protect the civilians at risk. Without them, the Hutu would finish as 5000000 congolese already killed are enough to show how far you can go.
French Officers sue for libel
Lets the facts, as can be proven, decide this matter and let it be decided in a French Court. These are officers who basic foundation for all they are in their profession is their Honor.
As an American and a human being I am ashamed that the USA and the developed world did little or nothing to stop the genocide. France tried. These men were there and made a effort with little international support and less interest. All that evil requires is for good people to do nothing.
Innocent until proved guilty
Let’s leave the matter to Justice. These soldiers have all rights to be heard. They are innocent until proved guilty.
We don't need advice - just an apology
Maybe a little light research before offering unsolicited advice would be in order - Rwanda already has a unity and reconciliation process http://www.nurc.gov.rw/. And it is working well http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/-/440808/485234/-/3mhi5d/-/index.html. But beyond this Rwanda also seeks justice. Or are the French the only ones allowed to demand justice? Had France not interfered in Rwanda and contributed to the death of a million innocent Rwandans - we would be minding our own business and not be having this exchange.
Rwandan truth and reconciliation
I advise Rwandans to seat down and discuss their problems instead of projecting them to other people and nations. A truth and reconciliation process is necessary. Why Kagame fears to take that route?
The French Helped Kill Tutsis. Period
There is no honour is supporting genocide. There is no honour in playing volleyball over a mass grave of Tutsi victims (Murambi). There is no honour in watching as Interahamwe repeatedly attacking with guns Tutsi resistance who fought with sticks and stones (Bisesero). There is no honour is raping Tutsi girls in camps within "operation turquoise" (Kibuye). There is no honour in pretending that this happened and trying to wipe it all away with sentimental PR and false depictions (Alain Tasma's Operation Turquoise). These remain FACTS. This is what the French government and Army did in Rwanda. Anyone who was in Rwanda during the time saw this with their own eyes and many survived to tell the tale. They may not have access to online news to comment on what they saw, but they exist. So go ahead - deny, defend your non-existent honour, sue all you want, make fantasy films on what you want the world to think happened - but we know what you did. France lost ALL honour in Rwanda and did an injustice to the whole world..
French soldiers saved thousands of Tutsi
French soldiers did an excellent job in Rwanda. They saved thousands of Tutsi from Hutu militias. They were left alone by the International Community ,especially the British and the Americans. The British did not intervene because they were supporting the invasion of Kagame from Uganda. Because they were expecting that Kagame will win the war, they refused to intervene to avoid stopping the advance of Kagame. They were confident that Museveni and Kagame will take power militarily in three days.
As we all know the genocide was accused by Kagame himself. This is why he has to find someone to blame: the French.
Source:
The role of the British in Rwandan genocide
http://www.medialens.org/articles/the_articles/rwanda/mc_rwanda.html
The US and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994
Evidence of Inaction, William Ferroggiaro, Editor August 20, 2001
http://www.gwu.edu/~nsarchiv/NSAEBB/NSAEBB53/index.html
THE TRUTH BEHIND THE RWANDA TRAGEDY
By Mr. Remigius Kintu
http://www.grandslacs.net/doc/3588.pdf
Rwanda
Ten French senior officer were accused by Rwanda of participating in the genocide which caused the life of approximately 1.000.000 people. It is their right to defend their honour, not because they are French, not because they are white, not because they are officers. They have to defend their honour because the accusation is so horrible that not only a French, but international jury has to investigate their claim. I cannot understand why everybody think that or the French or Mr. Kagame battle for a just cause. Maybe both bear their responsability for the genocide. For the Rwandan people we may hope that the ambiguous role of the actual Rwandan leadership will be examined. Mr. Kagame and his exiled rebels started a guerrilla war in 1991 although they didn' t ignore the consequences. With their efforts to conquer Rwanda they aggravated the tremendous conflict between the ruling Hutu ethnic group and the Tutsis.
What about the honour of Rwandan genocide victims?
"This is why 10 officers whose honour has been tarnished have decided to launch legal proceedings to counter these accusations in the courts of our country,"
Interesting how France is always claiming to protect its honour. Is it pursuit of honour that drove the French army to work with a genocidal regime and its Interahamwe against Rwandan citizens? Do these officers think that they have more honour than the heroic survivors of Biseseso who resisted attack after attack by genocidal militia assisted by the French army? perhaps these ten "aggrieved" officers miss the honours sang for them by hutu extremists who saw them as friends and protectors, especially when they launched the infamous "operation turquoise" to help the genociders escape to the DRC where they continue to wreak major havoc while the world watches? Again. Generals and colonels - sue all you want - your honour has been tarnished forever, and the eyes of the survivors are upon you.
More French Intimidation?
Give me a break! Haven't we seen this arrogant posturing from the French before. These officers ought to be ashamed of themselves. There is no worse crime than colluding with and assisting genociders - which is exactly what they did in 1994. Now they turn around and attempt to sue a country that is trying pick up the pieces of the mess they left behind? This is preposterous and demeaning to the memory of genocide victims. They know what they they did - and I hope that while they are busy with this ridiculous case, Rwanda will start its own proceedings against them for involvement in the genocide. SHAME!!!