1 France Genocide Tutsi Database https://francegenocidetutsi.org Information Letter n° 3, December 17, 2020 The database official address Nuit et brouillard sur The United States did https://francegenocidetutsi.org le Rwanda not support the RPF (noted below FGT) is a website which brings together documents On March 22, 1994, Prudence Bush- about France’s role in the geno- We have gathered thanks to the nell met Kagame to convince him cide of the Tutsi in Rwanda in archives of the L’Humanité newspa- to accept a representation of the 1994 and a search engine at http: per available on the web the articles Coalition for the Defense of Repub- //francegenocidetutsi.fr.A of Jean Chatain written during his lic (CDR). He refuses, arguing that backup can be accessed at http: two trips to Rwanda in the area lib- they are “criminals, gangsters, they //francegenocidetutsi.ddns.net erated by the Patriotic Front Rwan- threat to kill people”. On March if the official address cannot be dan (RPF) during the genocide. Al- 28, 1994, Ambassador Rawson again reached. Please note that https: though not aware of the country, Jean made pressure for the RPF to accept //francegenocidetutsi.org, http: is one of the few to have under- the CDR. On April 14, 1994, the Sec- //francegenocidetutsi.org, http: stood almost immediately the nature retary of State, Warren Christopher //www.francegenocidetutsi.org of the genocide and the role played is convinced of the will of the Interim are equivalent. by France. While he had published the book Paysages après le génocide Government to secure a ceasefire and (ed. Le Temps des cerises, 2007), we return to Arusha accords. He wants to convinced him of the value of repub- prevent a military victory of the RPF lishing his articles in a book. Unfor- and force him back to the negotiating State of the database tunately, Jean died on the 5th De- table. cember 2019 before the publication of the book whose title he chose Nuit It contains over 11,000 documents. et brouillard sur le Rwanda (Night Anti-aircraft threat at The index cards descriptions of the and fog over Rwanda). This one was documents are now available in abbre- Kigali in April 1994 edited by Izuba in January 2020. See viated. The search engine gives the http://www.izuba.info. full version. The Belgian C-130 which was to land in Kigali on April 6, 1994 was New items have been added to the equipped with “ecm” means (elec- top drop-down menu of web pages: tronic countermeasure) because the - a section “maps” including AA Artillery Belgian army had been warned of an the1/300,000 map of Rwanda, an in- “aa” (anti-aircraft) threat. Comman- teractive map of municipalities show- A note from the Belgian intelligence der De Troy sent a message on April ing the mayors and other officials in service of December 23, 1993 ob- 5, 1994 requesting special custody for 1994, the map of the 5 provinces and serves that two French soldiers listen this plane but, in his hearing on May 30 districts resulting from the 2006 re- to the telephone network. She re- 29, 1997, he did not want to confirm form. ports the movement of anti-aircraft that there was a particular threat in - a section “hate media” with Kan- artillery pieces to the the Kacyiru gen- Kigali. gura and transcriptions of RTLM and darmerie and the presidential guard On April 14, the last French plane Radio Rwanda. camp in Kimihurura. A DGSE file took off from Kanombe, activating dated April 7, 1994 (N° 18487/N) will its anti-missile decoys “ it during - a “multimedia” section with links indicate anti-aircraft gun fire at dawn the flight over Kanombe”, as affirms to videos or radio programs in replay. from the Kacyiru camp and aimed the the Kibat’diary dated September 20, The following comments are all re- RPF battalion at the CND. The at- 1995 and Renaud Girard in the Fi- lated to documents readable on this tack against the RPF was therefore garo Magazine on June 25, 1994. website. planned since a long time. This plane had just been threatened 2 by mortar fire that lieutenant-colonel ther folder more substantiated on the president’s death was the provocation Maurin wanted to blame on the Bel- preparation of the assassination of his needed to put a long-standing plan gians. father, the coup and massacres in or- into effect. He urged that the United During a meeting on May 18, 1994 der to prevent the entry into force of States encourage French and Belgium at the Belgian Military Prosecutor’s the agreements of Arusha Peace. intervention to stop the escalation of Office, it is mentioned that, accord- fighting and protect Rwandans. ing to the Pentagon, “Rwanda had 15 500 Belgian soldiers missiles”. This refers to the “Ex-FAR For the CIA, the attack Equipment Summary as of 6 April forbidden to land in 1994” sent by the United Nations’s and the massacres were Rwanda DPKO on September 1st, 1994. initiated by Hutu ex- On April 11, 1994, Madeleine Al- tremists De Grossouvre would bright, representative from the United have warned Mobutu States to the UN, confirms that 500 A CIA memo from April 28, 1994 Belgian paratroopers from the oper- says that “in our view politicians and ation Silver Back remained traped As part of his guilty plea, Jean Kam- military commanders from northen in Nairobi: “Belgian PolOff [polit- banda was heard in 1997-1998 by in- Rwanda unleashed the fighting that ical affairs officer] informed USUN erupted on 6 April”. [...] “Eyewit- vestigator Pierre Duclos. On Septem- PolOff that 500 Belgian paratroopers ber 25, 1997, Kambanda said about ness accounts of the downing of Hab- are standing by in Nairobi to rein- yarimana’s aircraft and the system- the April 6, 1994 meeting in Dar-es- force the 400 Belgians at Kigali, if Salaam: “Mobutu would have been ad- atic murder of Tutsi and indepen- needed”. Only 400 Belgian soldiers vised by a senior in the Elysee, the im- dant Hutu politicians immediately af- have been authorized to land in Ki- minence of danger. There would be a terwards suggest that the President’s gali by the Rwandan interim gov- link between the suicide of an Elysée death was the first step in a hardline ernment (GOR). While this one was executive and these communications. Hutu coup attempt”. not yet formed, the representative of France, Mr. Mérimée, made himself Joseph Kavaruganda’s the GOR’s spokesperson to the repre- The RPF denounces sentative of Belgium at the UN, Mr. the genocide on April murder Noterdaeme, as the latter reports it in his telegram of April 8 in Brussels. 13, 1994 In a document of July 2, 1995, An- The French authorities, for their part, nonciata, Joseph Kavaruganda’s wife, have indicated that they have pleaded In the absence of International action describes the circumstances of the ar- with the GOR the cause of Belgium to save innocent Rwandan people, the rest and murder of the President of so that it can land troops. This Rwandese Patriotic Front’s represen- the Constitutional Court on April 7, April 8, Paris knew that the geno- tative, Claude Dusaïdi, declares in 1994 by the Captain Kabera Zédé- cide against the Tutsi was triggered, a letter to President of the Security cias of the presidential guard. She as evidenced by “l’ordre d’opération Council that a crime of genocide is be- believes that Article 7 of the Mem- Amaryllis” and thus made himself the ing committed against the Rwandese orandum of Understanding between spokesperson for the killers. people. He has the moral responsabil- the Government of Rwandan Repub- ity to protect Rwandese people from lic and the RPF on Miscellaneous barbaric and savage criminals. It is Issues and Final Provisions, signed Colonel Rusatira the intention of the RPF to neutralize in Arusha on August 3, 1993 and elements of the Rwandese army that which stipulated that in absence of the His role is ambiguous especially dur- are responsible for these massacres, president of the Republic, ministers ing the ETO massacre on April 11 and deputies took an oath before the 1994. But he contacted Joyce Leader, President of the Constitutional Court, deputy head of mission in Kigali who New Zealand hands was “ textita death sentence” for this retreated to the United States Em- over its archives one. In a letter of March 23, 1994 bassy in Nairobi. Aurelea Brazeal, to the President, Kavaruganda com- the ambassador, reported on April Former New Zealand Ambassador to plained of death threats. During his 12 that he accused the secret orga- the UN, Colin Keating, gave a copy hearing on October 16, 1995, Jean- nization “Amasasu” to have ordered of the archives concerning Rwanda Marcel Kavaruganda provided a fur- the atrocities at Kigali. He said the to the Ambassador at UN Valentine 3 Rugwabiza (The New Times, Septem- « Le Petit Kigali » on the existence of Tutsi survivors in ber 7, 2019 ). Bisesero. The scene was filmed by This movie, dated June 11, 1994, was CNN’s Christiane Amanpour. The 29 shot by Vincent Munyakazi, owner of June evening, he also warned Com- “Petit Kigali”. This restaurant was mander Marin Gillier. The next day, A gift to the geno- the “headquartrt” of the Interahamwe when this officer did not take into ac- cidaires in Kigali. We see Ephrem Nkezabera, count this information, Sam Kiley and Chairman of the Committee on Eco- the reporter from Paris Match Michel nomic and Financial Affairs and the Invited to address the Security Coun- Peyrard introduced French soldiers to captain of the peacekeepers, Amadou cil meeting on 16 April 2014, Colin the Tutsi survivors in Bisesero.