Memorial policy, an essential instrument in Africa for the Elysée

“A fairly colossal scientific work. “ This is how the Duclert commission report on France’s commitment to Rwanda in support of the Hutu regime between 1990 and 1994 was received at the Elysee Palace. Handed over on Friday March 26, the document responds in full point to the letter of mission signed by the President of the Republic – as the entourage of the latter welcomes -, despite a “Very tight deadline”. The promised access to all the archives consulted by historians responds to a concern for transparency, which Mr. Macron’s predecessors had not expressed. In a press release published in the evening, the Elysee Palace welcomed “A considerable advance in the understanding and qualification of France’s engagement in Rwanda. ”

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The satisfaction of the Elysée relates to two aspects. By its comprehensiveness and its depth, the report would finally make it possible to get out of fantasies and bring together all the aspects of French engagement in Rwanda, which have been spelled out for twenty-seven years over the years. The blanks in the archives are not denied but relativized. “What is very useful is that these absences are objectified, and [qu’elles] can no longer be the subject of speculation about the fact that one would seek to conceal the proof of such or such decision, we assure at the Elysee. It is important in relation to public opinion. ”

Infusion time in public opinion

The second point is in the conclusion. The historians gathered around Vincent Duclert would have found a judicious balance between recognition of the responsibilities and dysfunctions of the State on the one hand and rejection of the notion of complicity in genocide on the other. “The conclusion dismisses this assertion, saying that no trace in the archives allows France to be assigned a role in the preparation and execution of the genocide”, emphasizes an advisor.

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Following the formal submission of the report, Emmanuel Macron wished to meet with the members of the commission, to hear their appreciation of this extraordinary experience. At the same time, the document was transmitted to Kigali, to the Rwandan authorities. These have been kept informed, step by step, since the establishment of the commission, expressing about it for two years a “Benevolent perception”, according to the Elysee. How President Paul Kagame will comment on his findings will be closely scrutinized in Paris.

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