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French culpability in Rwanda

Last week, the French newspaper Le Monde published an account that claimed the Office of the French President was privy to the planning of the Rwandan Genocide. In the documents, it becomes increasingly clear that [then] French President François Mitterrand supported the perpetrators of the genocide.

The documents, obtained by lawyers for six Tutsi survivors who are bringing a case against France for “complicity with genocide” at the Paris Army Tribunal, suggest the late President Mitterrand’s support for the Hutus was informed by an obsession with maintaining a French foothold in the region. One of the lawyers, Antoine Compte, said France was aware of the potential danger of its support for the pre-genocide Rwandan government. “Massacres on an ethnic basis were going on and we have evidence that France knew this from at least January 1993. The French military executed the orders of French politicians. The motivation was an obsession with the idea of an Anglo-Saxon plot to oust France from the region.”

Mr Compte said the file of diplomatic messages and initialled presidential memos, obtained from the François Mitterrand Foundation, provided evidence that the French military in Rwanda were under direct instruction from the Elysée Palace. The lawyer yesterday called on the investigating judge at the Paris Army Tribunal to interview senior French political figures, including military figures, diplomats, the former defence minister, Pierre Joxe and former prime minister, Alain Juppé.

It’s been long reported that the French shipped arms to Rwanda at the beginning of the genocide, an allegation that has been continually denied by the French government. As further evidence comes to light, it becomes increasingly difficult to cover up how much the French government knew about the Rwandan genocide, and the latest reports are casting them as allies to the genocidaires.

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Push to confront malaria

According to an article that recently appeared in the Washington Times, the White House has declared war against malaria, calling it “a genocide on Africans.” With a toll that ranges towards one million each year, it has become the leading cause of death for children under five in the region.

In December, Mr. Bush held the first White House Summit on Malaria, where he brought together all the groups to come up with a strategy to fight the disease. On April 25, the United States marked the first Malaria Awareness Day — a day already acknowledged each year by African countries.

As an activist, I’m certainly pleased to see our current Administration doing something about egregious illnesses in other parts of the world. I do, however, wonder why they insist on using the term genocide to promote their efforts, when they’ve clearly shown how allergic they are to dealing with actual genocides.

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Sorry for the silence

I apologize for the light posting. I’ve been turning 40 and entrenched in side projects (one of which is genocide related) all at the same time. I will attempt to return to a full schedule of genocide news in the coming week.

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Khalifa dies in accident

Majzoub al-Khalifa, an advisor to Sudanese President Omar Hassan al-Bashir, died in a car accident, along with his brother, on his way to Shendi.

Khalifa graduated from Khartoum university’s faculty of medicine in 1976. He had previously held the positions of governor of Khartoum and agriculture minister.

Known for his gruff manner, he was energetic, large of stature and said to be one of Bashir’s close inner circle.

Sometimes called a “thug” by his critics, he was blunt and to the point in his diplomatic dealings.

The United Nations paid tribute to Khalifa on Wednesday, offering its condolences to his family.

Khalifa was one of the point men on the 2006 Darfur Peace Accord. Unfortunately, with only one of the various rebel factions involved, and a lack of interest in stopping the bloodshed on the part of the government, the violence has continued unabated.

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China’s small movements

As pressure continues to build over China’s involvement with Sudan, and activists continue to paint the upcoming Olympics as a genocide event, Beijing seems to be showing the first signs of potential movement.

China, in response, has denounced these efforts to link the games with its foreign policy, saying such a campaign runs counter to the Olympic spirit.

“There are a handful of people who are trying to politicize the Olympic Games,” Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told reporters, stressing that the Games are a time to celebrate friendly ties between nations. “This is against the spirit of the Games. It also runs counter to the aspirations of all the people in the world.”

But protestations aside, it seems someone in Beijing is listening. Shortly after Farrow’s op-ed appeared, China appointed a special envoy to Darfur and reportedly stepped up efforts to persuade Khartoum to accept international peacekeepers in Darfur.

Pressure over the Olympics could help cause a shift from China’s noninterference policy, says Reeves. “To date, what we’ve seen are largely cosmetic efforts, trying to ‘respond to Darfur’ on the cheap … but as shame and dismay intensify, as the pain grows, we’ll see a good deal more than cosmetics.”

It’s unlikely that China will pull its investments from Sudan, especially considering the amount of money they have tied to the oil industry, but perhaps they can push Khartoum in the direction the United Nations needs in order to quell the violence.