Rwandan president accuses France of role in 1994 genocide
Bars French ambassador from 20th anniversary memorial
07 April, 17:43Rwandan President Paul Kagame accused Paris of having had "a direct role in the preparation" of the mass slaughter, and the French ambassador was declared 'persona non grata'. French ex-premier Eduoard Balladur, who held his post during the period in question, called the charge a "lie" with an agenda behind it, while Kagame insisted France was involved "before, during and after" the genocide.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon remarked on the UN's shame for failing to prevent the extermination.
From early April to mid-July, members of the Hutu majority executed an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu, or as much as 20% of the country's total population.