Macron admits French "responsibility" for Rwandan genocide

Colonialism in Africa by the European powers meant an incessant exploitation of natural resources. On the other hand, the drawing of borders united ethnic groups that should not be together, giving rise to conflicts and massacres. The European countries, ignoring the warnings, did not prevent genocides, coming to position themselves close to the genocidal regimes. Now, some time later, some ex-colonial powers such as France or Germany have decided to admit their responsibility and acknowledge their mistakes on the African continent. Emmanuel Macron, during an official visit to Rwanda, apologized for France’s position on the genocide perpetrated by the militias. Hutus. “Standing here today, with humility and respect, I have come to recognize our responsibilities,” declared the French president at the genocide memorial in Kigali, Rwandan capital. Macron admitted not having listened to those warning of the impending massacre. However, he added that France was “not complicit” in the genocide of 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus. Rwandan President Paul Kagame praised the words of his French counterpart. His words were more valuable than an apology. They were the truth ”, declared Kagame in a joint press conference. He also classified Macron’s gesture as “an act of tremendous courage.” During the visit of French President Kagame stressed that the ties between the two countries would be strengthened in the future and that both nations would relate “much better in economic, political and cultural terms.” Jean-Paul Kimonyo, former adviser to the president, also praised the Macron’s gesture calling it “a strong speech.” Regarding the lack of an official apology, Kimonyo assured that the president asked for forgiveness “in a subtle way.”However, that detail has been criticized by Ibuka, an organization that helps survivors of the genocide. The association was “disappointed” with Macron for failing to present a clear apology. Journalist Malcom Webb, a correspondent for Al Jazeera in Kenya and elsewhere in Africa, argues that Macron’s failure to apologize is due to future elections. in France. Webb refers specifically to criticism from political parties. “If he had apologized, he would most likely have been attacked by the extreme right and the act would not have been appreciated by the Army elites,” said the journalist. Macron’s statements reiterate a report by a commission of French experts in which they point out that the Gallic authorities, under the mandate of François Mitterrand, had a “great responsibility” for the genocide. The panel of experts, like Macron, argues that France was not complicit in the mass executions. Germany, following in Macron’s footsteps, reflects on its colonial past Heiko Maas, the German foreign minister, admitted that Germany had caused “a immeasurable suffering ”to the Herero and Namaqua peoples, ethnic groups of present-day Namibia. At the beginning of the 20th century, German colonial troops carried out mass murder against the Herero and Namaqua. More than a century later, Germany has acknowledged its guilt in those massacres. “With the current point of view, we will qualify these events for what they are: a genocide,” declared Maas. “You cannot erase the past,” admits the head of German diplomacy, although he acknowledges that forgiveness is an important step for overcome it and “build the future together”. The minister has also stated that Berlin will send a fund of 1.100 million euros for the “reconstruction and development of Namibia. Some historians consider this genocide as the first of the 20th century. German troops murdered approximately 60,000 Herero and 10,000 Namaquas, in addition to using genocidal techniques such as forced displacement and transfers to concentration camps. Some authorities who were directly involved in the genocide, such as the doctor Eugen Fischer, were true idols for Adolf Hitler and significantly influenced his ideals. Fischer was in charge of conducting experiments with the skulls of the victims to “demonstrate the superiority of the white race.”