The French Involvement in Rwanda Genocide is not the First Instance of Colonial Behavior with Vested Interests.

The Rwandan Genocide is referred to as the 1994 mass killing of hundreds of thousands of Rwanda’s Tutsis and Hutu political moderates by Hutus under the Hutu Power ideology.

Over a period of approximately 100 days, from the assassination of Juvenal Habyarimana on 6 April up until mid July, at least 500,000 people were killed.

The total death count turned out to be between 800,000 and 1,000,000.

Apparently the genocide has its roots in Rwanda’s Hutu Tutsi ethnic divide and related sporadic violence

Before pondering into the French involvement in Rwandan genocide, one should also take into consideration the previous incidents that acted as a precursor to the genocide.

Investigative journalist Wayne Madsen explained that the initial RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) of Rwanda (which mainly consisted of the Tutsi tribe) from Uganda in 1990 “had the military backing of the first Bush administration [1989-1993], including the then Secretary of Defense Dick Cheney”.

The aim of the RPF was to overthrow Rwanda’s Hutu president.

Madsen also brought to light that the RPF deputy leader, Paul Kagame was trained at the U.S. army installations in the United States.

During the 1990 invasion of Rwanda when the leader of RPF was killed, “Kagame became the new head of the guerilla army and his ties with the Pentagon, CIA, and State Department became closer”.

Classified UN documents also revealed that Albright and Annan were aware of this information.

Along with this there was also a regular supply of air missiles and other armaments to the RPF.

Smelly Cheese?

Now coming to the French involvement in Rwanda genocide, several victims accused the French army of complicity in massacres of the Tutsi tribe.

The testimony of twenty survivors claimed some serious human rights violation and abuses, including rape and murder by the French military.

In 1994, when the French involvement in Rwanda genocide took place, operation Turquoise, an operation to save the Rwandan (Hutu) lives, who were attacked by the RPF, according to Madsen’s findings were backed by the then Secretary Defense of US Mr. Cheney!

Intervention? More Like Interception!

French involvement in Rwanda genocide did not amount to anything that they claimed to do when they first intervened in the genocide.

Some of the Human rights groups in France said that instead of saving Rwandan lives they tricked many Tutsi survivors out of their hiding places and then abandoned them to be killed.

This three month long genocide resulted in the death toll of about one million Tutsi people.

Though the Hutu death toll has no exact record but their number was also big.

Till 1993 when Hutu were in power in Rwanda, the administration was backed by the French army.

The french involvement in rwanda genocide turned out to be more of an exploitation.

People who Live in Glass Houses…

In 1994, Mr. Cheney and Bush used the divide between Hutu and Tutsi for their own gain.

The French Involvement in Rwanda genocide or the United State’s interference in the genocide was an outrageous strategy of both countries to use innocent people for every possible inhuman act, be it the physical exploitation of the Rwandan citizens, or their resources.

This Genocide was not exactly a war between Tutsi and Hutu tribe, rather a war between the disguised imperialistic powers of France and the United States.

Over the past 20 years during which France was enjoying the resources of Rwanda, United States could not exploit it and thus, in competition they ignited this genocide where innocent Rwandans (Tutsis or Hutus) became victimized.