Three things to learn from the Macron / Kagame “arrangement”…
1° Genocide and/or complicity of genocide charges can be negotiated…
The first thing to learn from the reconciliation between Emmanuel Macron and Paul Kagame is that genocide charges can be negotiated…
For 27 years, the RPF and its relays have told anyone who will listen, that France had participated in the genocide against Tutsi, or at the least, had been an accomplice. Some have even gone as far as to testify on honor, claiming they have irrefutable evidence, as direct witnesses[1].
However, Emmanuel Macron has just succeeded in a sleight of hand by which he literally redirects all accusations against France to the oblivion of history, by simply becoming “friends” with the one who claims to have stopped the very genocide France is accused of…
For his part, Paul Kagame was satisfied with the move. As realpolitik trumped Justice, the Rwandan president thanked the French president for offering him a France on her knees, rather than a France that stands in his way.
This is not surprising, since it is exactly what is happening with Rwandan opponents to the RPF, who for years are accused of participation or complicity in genocide, and then magically transformed into allies as soon as they decide to keep pace with the RPF.
Seeing a country like France “trading off’ its innocence is very disappointing, since it is basically flouting all its ideals of international Justice. On this point, Macron has made a worse deal than Kagame.
Indeed, who will now do justice to the families of people, including French nationals, murdered in the attack on Juvénal Habyarimana’s plane? Who will now take seriously the trials against Rwandan refugees in France accused of genocide, if France has managed to bargain for its innocence? Which French national will henceforth have the legitimacy to prosecute the crimes which are imputed to Paul Kagame and his army in Rwanda or in DRC?
Unless other surprises unfold, Emmanuel Macron’s calculation, which consisted of “negotiating” the innocence of France with a former rebel accused of the worst violations of international laws, will one day or another backfire at France’s legitimacy to render international justice.
2° It is the survivors who forgive, not Paul Kagame nor the RPF.
The second thing to learn from the Kagame / Macron reconciliation is that Tutsi survivors are not to be confused with Paul Kagame’s RPF.
The controversy over the forgiveness that was not “formally” requested by President Macron has at least restored a hidden reality. It is a nuance that often escapes non-Rwandans who still have a binary view of the Rwandan conflict (Hutu against Tutsi), but it is a significant nuance that enables understanding of what took place in the 90’s and continues to happen in 2021.
It seems that Emmanuel Macron was aware of this nuance, since in his speech, he made it clear that “only the one who has been through the night can tell it“, borrowing a popular Rwandan adage which allows to pay homage to Tutsi victims, without confusing them with Tutsi rebels of the RPF, against whom the French army was at war between 1990 and 1994.
Unlike the Belgians [2], who had asked for forgiveness in front of Paul Kagame and his army, thus merging Tutsi victims with Tutsi rebels (RPF), President Macron chose that France bow only to “those who made it through the night“. Paul Kagame was not even present at the genocide memorial during his counterpart’s speech.
On this point, Emmanuel Macron made a good deal. Indeed, despite the friendly image of his trip to visit Paul Kagame, he can always argue that he only bowed to the victims. He did not mention at any time, the fact that it was the RPF who “stopped the genocide“, skillfully avoiding to thank Paul Kagame for a historically contested act of propaganda.
3° The theory of a second genocide is not denial!
Finally, the third and last thing that can be learned from Emmanuel Macron’s interventions, is his position on the question of the “double” genocide.
At the joint press conference following the French president’s speech, a journalist asked him what he would tell those who put forward the “double” genocide proposition. Before clearly stating that there was only one genocide, President Macron merely pointed out that those who speak of a second genocide “are reinventing history.”
Thus, contrary to the lethal propaganda emanating from Kigali, President Macron does not qualify as “genocide deniers” those who claim the recognition of a second genocide, and on this point, it is President Kagame who made a bad deal, since he invested heavily in this terminology for years.
A very clever way from President Macron to sit on the fence, while keeping an open door for those who would succeed in proving that history was poorly written …
To conclude, the Macron-Kagame “deal” of 2021 is a very complex deal, but with strong concessions on both sides. On the face of it, neither of the two presidents come out on top. President Macron seems to have bargained for the honor of France, while President Kagame seems to have given up some of his propaganda, but as Honoré de Balzac said, isn’t a bad deal better than a good trial?
Gustave Mbonyumutwa
www.jambonews.net
- Delivery of weapons to genocidaires, protection and aid in the escape of genocidaires, etc …
- Willy Claes reacted like this: “Let me say this. I have a lot of compassion for and I have absolutely nothing against, that the international community, and in this case, the Belgian government through the voice of Mr. Veroofstadt, apologizes to the Rwandan people for the enormous mess that has been suffered. , but to apologize to what I call evildoers like Kagame, I find that inappropriate. I can’t accept it». http://www.france-rwanda.info/article-35565631.html
