Paris, April 8, (dpa/GNA) – French President Emmanuel Macron
has ordered historical government archives to be made available to the public amid criticism of France’s conduct during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994.
The Elysee Palace said Wednesday that documents dating from between 1990 to 1994 from the archives of then-head of state Francois Mitterrand would be made accessible.
Documents from then-prime minister Edouard Balladur will also become accessible. The conservative politician was in office from 1993 to 1995.
A commission of historians last month concluded that France carries responsibility in relation to the genocide. One conclusion was that Paris turned a blind eye to preparations for the killings.
However, the historians found no evidence that France was complicit in the deaths of more than 800,000 people. Members of the Hutu majority killed members of the Tutsi minority in a systematic manner over the course of many months.
GNA