French President Emmanuel Macron, recently, asked for forgiveness for his country’s role in the 1994 Rwandan massacre in which about 800,000 people, mostly ethnic Tutsis, were killed.

• Speaking at the genocide memorial in Kigali, Rwanda’s capital, Mr. Macron said France chose “silence over examination of the truth” for too long.
• But, he stopped short of issuing an apology, saying France had not been an accomplice in the genocide.

What was France’s role in the killings?

France, which enjoyed close ties with Rwanda’s Hutu-led government of President Juvénal Habyarimana, has long been criticised for its role in the killings of the Tutsi minorities in 1994.

• In May 2019, President Macron, promising a new beginning with Rwanda, set up a 15-member expert committee to investigate his country’s role in the genocide.
• The committee, submitted its findings and stated that France, under the President François Mitterrand, bore “heavy and overwhelming responsibilities” for being “blind” to the events that led to the killings.
• It blamed Mitterrand for a “failure” of policy towards Rwanda in 1994.

A separate inquiry commissioned by Rwanda had concluded in a report submitted to the Cabinet in April that France “enabled” the genocide.

What’s the history of the Hutu-Tutsi relations?

The majority Hutus and minority Tutsis have had a troubled relationship in Rwanda that goes back to the German and Belgian colonial period.

• Colonialists ruled Rwanda through the Tutsi monarchy which was in minority.
• Tutsis were appointed as local administrative chiefs and the ethnic minority enjoyed relatively better educational and employment opportunities.
• This led to widespread resentment among the majority Hutus.
• In 1959, Rwanda saw violent riots led by Hutus in which some 20,000 Tutsis were killed and many more were displaced.
• Amid growing violence, the Belgian authorities handed over power to the Hutu elite.
• In 1961, Hutu leader declared Rwanda an autonomous republic and the next year, the country became independent.
• Since then, Rwanda had been controlled by Hutus, until their genocidal regime was toppled by the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in 1994.

What led to the genocide?

• In 1993, Habyarimana, who was backed by France, rose to power in 1973, was forced to sign a peace agreement (Arusha Accords) with the RPF.
• This led to resentment among Hutu militias, backed by the government, towards local Tutsi population, who were accused of collaborators of the RPF.