[JURIST] The Rwandan government [official website] on Wednesday announced that it has launched an investigation into the possible involvement of 20 French military officials in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Richard Muhumuza, Rwanda’s Prosecutor General, said [Africa News report] that the inquiry is focused on 20 individuals and that more information is required from them. There have long existed tensions between Rwanda and France concerning the genocide and many believe this move will simply deepen the divide.

Earlier this year two former Rwandan mayors went on trial in the Assize Court of Paris [JURIST report] on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during the 1994 Rwandan genocide. The two men, Tito Barahira and Octavien Ngenzi, are accused of “supervis[ing] and participat[ing] in the attack on [Tutsis],” even going as far as killing wounded survivors in a clinic. In January the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda formally closed [JURIST report] after issuing 45 judgments. In September 2015 a court in Toulouse, France, refused extradition requests [JURIST report] for Joseph Habyarimana, a Rwandan man, facing charges of genocide and crimes against humanity.