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Rwanda

Uncomfortable Truths

no means all people acquiesce in this). And yet many of the same aquiescents rush to condemn
Rwanda.

Arguably, Rwanda has far more reason to concern itself with matters of State Security

than the USA. Israel, as another small country with potentially 'troubled and troubling'
neighbours, arguably needs to be pro-active rather than reactive in neutralising the threat.

When trying to understand the mindset of the current Rwandan leadership concerning the
threat of intervention by 'disaffected groups' and 'outside interests' would do well to read

the following article which gives considerable detail as to the way the current Rwandan

leadership itself evolved from Rwandan refugees, and through assimilation into Ugandan
military, eventually formed an effective military force.

"America's secret role in the Rwandan genocide, " The Guardian (September 2017) 118
The above article's headline doesn't really do justice to the detail within. It serves as an
illustration not so much about Rwanda itself, but the way that 'intractable' problems self-

generate further and further episodes of conflict. Sorting out right from wrong is simply
unhelpful. Moralising somewhat misses the point.

Current Rwandan leaders perceive France as having played a significant part in the

1990s Genocide. You can get some sense of this from the following extracts:
" The role of France in the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has been a source of controversy

and debate both within and beyond France and Rwanda. France actively supported the
Hutu-led government of Juvénal Habyarimana against the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan
Patriotic Front, which since 1990 had been engaged in a conflict intended to restore the

rights of Rwandan Tutsis both within Rwanda and exiled in neighboring countries
following over four decades of anti-Tutsi violence. France provided arms and military

training to Habyarimana's youth militias, the Interahamwe and Impuzamugambi, which
were among the government's primary means of operationalizing the genocide following

the assassination of Juvénal Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira on April 6, 1994.
***
Near the end of the 100-day genocide, French troops were deployed to establish the
Turquoise Zone, largely preventing further waves of genocide within the purported safe

zone. In practice, the zone enabled many genocidal Hutus to safely escape to Zaire in
advance of the victorious RPF soldiers. The facts related to the French role in the
Rwandan genocide have formed the focus of ongoing debate, and diplomatic relations

between France and Rwanda have frequently been strained since 1994.