France–Rwanda relations

France–Rwanda relations are the international relations between France and Rwanda.

France-Rwanda relations
Map indicating locations of France and Rwanda

France
Rwanda

History

Early relations

France and Rwanda were allies during the reign of Habyarimana.[1]

Rwandan genocide
See also: Role of France in the Rwandan genocide

Post genocide

After the genocide, Rwanda sought to distance itself from France, with French institutions being closed, and the language of instruction in schools being switched from French to English.[2] Rwanda also sought to align itself closer to other allies, including the US, the UK, and China, joining the British-led Commonwealth in 2009.[3]

In 2010, during a visit to Rwanda, French President Nicolas Sarkozy acknowledged that France made "mistakes" during the genocide but did not offer an apology.[2] His visit was the first French presidential visit to Rwanda since the genocide.

In May 2021, President of France Emmanuel Macron visited Rwanda, and acknowledged France's role in the genocide.[4] However, like Sarkozy, he did not offer an official apology.[5] Macron also promised 100,000 COVID-19 vaccines to Rwanda.[6]

Resident diplomatic missions
  • France has an embassy in Kigali.
  • Rwanda has an embassy in Paris.
  • Embassy of Rwanda in Paris
    Embassy of Rwanda in Paris

References
  1. Beloff, Jonathan. "Rwanda genocide: Macron forgiveness plea resets historic ties". The Conversation. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  2. "France admits genocide 'mistakes'". 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  3. Onishi, Norimitsu; Dahir, Abdi Latif (2021-05-27). "In Rwanda, Macron Tries to Reset Relations With Africa". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  4. "Macron asks Rwanda to forgive France over 1994 genocide role". BBC News. 2021-05-27. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  5. "Macron recognises French 'responsibility' in Rwanda genocide". www.aljazeera.com. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
  6. Agencies (2021-05-27). "Macron recognizes France's role in genocide despite arming brutal regime". Daily Sabah. Retrieved 2021-06-07.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.