France accused over Rwanda genocide
Tue, 05 Aug 2008 19:59:29 GMT
French soldiers on patrol passing by ethnic Hutu
troops in 1994
French
troops were directly involved in Rwanda's 1994 genocide in which
800,000 people were massacred, Rwanda's justice ministry says.
It named 33 senior French military and political figures including
late president Francois Mitterrand (president from 1981 to 1995), two
former prime ministers Dominique de Villepin and Edouard Balladur of
direct involvement in the massacres from April to July 1994 and said
they should be prosecuted.
Hutu militias slaughtered minority Tutsis and politically moderate Hutus.
The report threatened to further mar relations between the two countries, which
severed diplomatic ties in November 2006.
France has refused to comment on the report and had previously
denied any involvement. France has acknowledged making "mistakes" in
Rwanda but denies any responsibility for the killing spree.
The French foreign ministry told the BBC it would only respond to
the fresh allegations after reading the report, which was released on
Tuesday afternoon.
Rwandan Justice Minister Tharcisse Karugarama, presenting the
500-page report in Kigali, said: "French forces directly assassinated
Tutsis and Hutus accused of hiding Tutsis... French forces committed
several rapes on Tutsi women."
Karugarama said his country had no immediate plans to issue
indictments, but the report "could be the basis for potential charges
against individuals or the state."
He added that it took more than two years for a special commission assigned
with probing France's involvement in the genocide.
The report further said that France was aware of the preparations
for the genocide, contributed to planning the massacres and actively
took part in the killing.
Elsewhere the statement said that considering the seriousness of
the alleged crimes, the Rwandan government has urged the relevant
authorities to bring the accused French politicians and military
officials to justice.
FTP/PA
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