Rwanda: May 2, 1994 - Tutsi Massacre Plot At Hôtel Des Mille Collines Thwarted By French Intervention

2 May 2024
The New Times (Kigali)
By Hudson Kuteesa

On May 2, 1994, amidst the ongoing Genocide against the Tutsi, the killers' government aimed to carry out a massacre of Tutsi sheltering at Hôtel des Mille Collines in Kigali.

However, their plans were foiled by intervention from the French government which warned them of potential international outcry.

ALSO READ: May 1, 1994: Genocide enters new month with continuing atrocities

The French press, along with the intervention of Dr. Bernard Kouchner, the former French Minister of Health, played a crucial role in preventing the massacre. Dr. Kouchner disseminated the news in France, drawing attention to the imminent danger faced by the Tutsi at the hotel.

Simultaneously, French Civil Society denounced the attempted massacre, prompting French President François Mitterand to caution the Rwandan genocidal government against it.

ALSO READ: April 30, 1994: Tutsi massacred in Gisenyi's commune rouge

French journalist Vincent Hugueux, writing for the newspaper L'Express on June 2, 1994, reported that Bruno Delaye, the official in charge of Africa at the French presidency within the French Foreign Affairs Ministry, warned General Augustin Bizimungu, the Rwandan chief of staff, about the detrimental impact on Rwanda's international image if the refugees at Hôtel des Mille Collines were harmed.

The warning underscored the potential consequences, suggesting that France might reconsider its assistance to Rwanda.

ALSO READ: April 24, 1994: Tutsi killed in Kabgayi, Ruhango

Subsequent confirmation of this information came from Billets d'Afrique, a publication by the NGO Survie in France, in 1996. Additionally, Liberation, another French newspaper, reported on May 25, 1994, that the genocidal government had stationed its agents at Hôtel des Mille Collines to monitor the refugees.

Among the individuals implicated in the massacre plot was Father Wenceslas Munyeshyaka, a Catholic priest known for his involvement in the massacres of Tutsi at Sainte Famille Church, situated near Hôtel des Mille Collines.

ALSO READ: Pope Francis dismisses Rwandan priest Munyeshyaka who was convicted for Genocide

Multiple witnesses testified that between April 8 and the first week of July 1994, Munyeshyaka participated in meetings at Sainte Famille Parish, Saint Paul Church, and CELA in Kigali, where plans were made to organise massacres and kidnappings of Tutsi civilians.

He collaborated with key genocidaires such as Colonel Tharcisse Renzaho and Angeline Mukandutiye.

Read the original article on New Times.

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