IB History Role of France, Belgium and the US Notes

The Role of France, Belgium, and the United States in the Rwandan Genocide

France

1. Support for the Hutu-led Government (1990–1993)
   1. From 1990 to late 1993, France openly backed Rwanda’s Hutu-led government against the Tutsi-dominated RPF rebels.
   2. While encouraging peace talks like the Arusha Accords, France simultaneously trained the Rwandan army and Interahamwe militia.
   3. In October 1990, France sent 600 elite troops to protect Kigali during the initial RPF invasion. French operatives remained even after official troop withdrawals.
2. Military Cooperation and Alliance
   1. In 1975 and again in the late 1980s, France signed military cooperation agreements with Rwanda, training and arming the Rwandan army (FAR) and sending military advisors.
   2. When the RPF invaded in 1990, France saw it as a threat to its ally and external aggression, stepping in to help.
   3. France maintained a long-standing alliance with President Juvénal Habyarimana, whose government was dominated by the Hutu elite.
   4. France continued to see Habyarimana as the legitimate head of state despite growing evidence of ethnic violence.
   5. The RPF, composed mainly of Tutsi exiles from Uganda, was framed as foreign-backed rebels. This framing justified continued French military and political support.
   6. France labeled the RPF as “Khmer Noir,” linking them to Cambodia’s Khmer Rouge, which France had ironically supported decades earlier.
3. Operation Amaryllis (April 1994)
   1. Days after Habyarimana’s assassination, France launched Operation Amaryllis, sending 500 soldiers to evacuate mainly Western foreigners.
   2. The operation’s primary objective was to evacuate French citizens (including diplomats, aid workers, missionaries, and families).
   3. France also evacuated other European and Western nationals (Belgian, American, other non-African expatriates, UN personnel, NGO staff, businesspeople).
   4. In selective cases, France evacuated Rwandan nationals, particularly those connected to the Hutu-led government (relatives of elites, military members, ruling party MRND).
   5. Ordinary Rwandan civilians, including Tutsis and moderate Hutus, were excluded. Many Rwandan staff for embassies or NGOs were left behind despite pleas for protection.
   6. This highlighted what France could have done early to prevent violence but chose not to.
4. Support for the Interim Hutu Government
   1. France maintained close relations with the interim Hutu government in April–May 1994, providing political support.
   2. Reports suggest continued arms shipments despite UN embargoes.
   3. French personnel, possibly mercenaries, were seen around Kigali. Authorities denied knowledge but were criticized for supporting genocidal leaders.
5. Operation Turquoise (June 1994)
   1. France led a UN-backed intervention, Operation Turquoise, officially aimed at protecting civilians.