These documents, available in both their original French and in translated English, detail a chronological narrative illustrating France's interactions with the Rwandan Habyarimana regime and the French government's perception of Rwanda's growing political and military crisis throughout 1992, 1993, and 1994.
Documents 11–20: Summaries and Links
Date: July 1, 1992
To: President François Mitterrand
From: [Military Advisor to Mitterrand] General Christian Quesnot
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Rwanda Military Situation
General Quesnot reports to Mitterrand that the RPF has stepped up its offensive into northern Rwanda “with the important support of the Ugandan army,” prior to the start of peace negotiations in Arusha, Tanzania, scheduled for July 10, 1992. He recommends that French military advisors be allowed to train Rwandan soldiers in the use of military equipment “subject to the most extreme discretion” but should not take part in combat operations.
Date: January 19, 1993
To: French Foreign Ministry
From: [French Ambassador to Rwanda] Georges Martres
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Mission from International Federation for Human Rights
Date: February 1, 1993
To: [Advisor on African Affairs to President Mitterrand] Bruno Delaye
From: [Human Rights Activist] Jean Carbonare
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Human Rights Violations in Rwanda
In January 1993, an international human rights commission arrived in Kigali to investigate allegations of Rwandan government connivance in massacres of minority Tutsis. Ambassador Martres feared that the commission report would embarrass President Habyarimana and the French government, and he predicted a backlash by Hutu hardliners, based in northern Rwanda. An imprisoned Rwandan journalist, Janvier Afrika, told the commission that the violence was being fueled by “death squads” linked to Hutu extremists close to Habyarimana.
Date: February 8, 1993
To: President François Mitterrand
From: [Military Advisor to Mitterrand] General Christian Quesnot and [Advisor on African Affairs to Mitterrand] Bruno Delaye
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Rwanda—RPF Military Offensive
On February 8, 1993, following reports of massacres of minority Tutsis, the RPF launched a major offensive in northern Rwanda, capturing the town of Ruhengeri. The French government immediately called a “crisis meeting” and authorized expanded support for the Rwandan army, “with the exception of direct participation of French forces” in the fighting.
Date: February 15, 1993
To: President François Mitterrand
From: [Advisor on African Affairs to Mitterrand] Bruno Delaye
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Rwanda: Mission to Kigali and Kampala
Reporting on a trip to Rwanda and Uganda, presidential advisor Bruno Delaye describes the “disastrous” political situation in Rwanda following the RPF attack on Ruhengeri. He warns that the rebels are in a position to “capture Kigali.” Delaye attempts to negotiate a deal between “the Hutus of the North,” gathered around President Habyarimana, who are opposed to any political concessions to the RPF, and “the Hutus of the South,” who favor negotiations with the RPF and the overthrow of Habyarimana. The French-brokered deal includes a joint denunciation of the RPF, renewed commitment to democratization, and a resumption of the Arusha peace negotiations.
Date: February 26, 1993
To: President François Mitterrand
From: [Defense Minister] Pierre Joxe
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Rwanda
In a memorandum to French president Mitterrand, Defense Minister Pierre Joxe expresses concern at the failure of the Rwandan army to resist a Tutsi-led invasion of the country, despite the presence of 690 French military advisors under Operation Noroit. He suggests that Habyarimana is “largely responsible” for the “present fiasco” through his “political intransigence.” He recommends pressuring Habyarimana to soften his position by threatening to withdraw French troops and negotiate a political solution to the crisis.
Date: March 3, 1993
From: Notes Taken by Hubert Védrine taken during Council of Ministers
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Situation in Rwanda
Anxious to reduce France’s military exposure in Rwanda, President Mitterrand sought to internationalize the conflict “by handing it over to the United Nations.” He viewed the UN’s involvement in Rwanda as the best exit strategy for France, while avoiding an outright RPF victory.
Date: April 2, 1993
From: Council of Ministers Minutes
Source: Mitterrand Archive
Subject: Situation in Rwanda
A right-wing victory in French parliamentary elections in March 1993 posed a further complication for French foreign policy, obliging President Mitterrand to share power with a conservative prime minister, Édouard Balladur. During the first cabinet meeting of the “cohabitation” regime, Mitterrand and Balladur agree on the need to reinforce the French presence in Rwanda with 1,000 additional troops.
Date: February 28, 1994
To: Private Letter to a Friend
From: [Co-Pilot of Habyarimana’s Presidential Plane] Jean-Pierre Minaberry
Source: French Parliamentary Commission
Subject: Missiles Threatening the Security of the Falcon’s Flights
In a private letter to a friend, the French pilot of Habyarimana’s plane expresses concern about the possibility of an attack on the Falcon 50 jet. Colonel Minaberry suspects that RPF troops, who have recently taken over the parliament building in Kigali (CND), have the technical capability to shoot down a plane landing at Kigali airport with Soviet SA-7 or SA-16 surface-to-air missiles. He discusses alternative landing approaches to neutralize the threat.
Date: April 7, 1994
To: President François Mitterrand
From: [Advisor on African Affairs to Mitterrand] Bruno Delaye
Source: French Parliamentary Commission
Subject: Attack against the Presidents of Rwanda and Burundi
The first report to Mitterrand on the downing of Habyarimana’s plane “attributes” responsibility to the Tutsi-led RPF, but does not provide any concrete evidence. Presidential advisor Bruno Delaye reports that the Presidential Guard has begun to hunt down political opponents of the president, both Hutus and Tutsis, and a military confrontation “appears inevitable.” Delaye says the French embassy is ready to provide shelter to Habyarimana’s family, in accordance with Mitterrand’s instructions.