France probing allegations of involvement in Rwandan genocide News
France probing allegations of involvement in Rwandan genocide

[JURIST] French Judge Brigitte Raynaud is in Rwanda investigating accusations that Paris helped a former Hutu [Wikipedia backgrounder] government massacre of Tutsis [Wikipedia backgrounder] during the 1994 genocide [Human Rights watch backgrounder; BBC backgrounder], French Ambassador Dominique Decherf said Tuesday. Last year, Rwanda's Tutsi President Paul Kagame [BBC profile] first accused France [JURIST report] of training and arming Hutu militias who were behind the 100-day slaughter that killed 800,000. Kagame's accusations were followed by a lawsuit filed against French soldiers [JURIST report] by six Rwandan citizens earlier this year. The plaintiffs claim that the soldiers actively participated in the genocide, but the French government has denied any role in the Rwandan genocide. According to Decherf, the judge will hear allegations from the six genocide survivors before returning to France on Friday. Her report will be used to decide if further investigations or a trial are required. Reuters has more.