Macron officially invited to Kigali for 25th commemorations of Genocide against Tutsi

According to information reaching Jeunne Afrique, Emmanuel Macron was officially invited to the 25th commemorations of the 1994 Genocide against Tutsi on April 7 in Kigali. Paris has not yet communicated its response but this invitation marks a decisive step in the rapprochement between France and Rwanda after the election of Emmanuel Macron.

This is not the first invitation that Rwanda has addressed to France since the beginning of the warming of the relations between the two countries, but it is certainly the most symbolic as the role of France in the genocide feeds the controversy and the tensions between Paris and Kigali for more than twenty years.

According to information from Jeune Afrique, Emmanuel Macron was invited to the 25th commemorations of the Genocide against Tutsi to be held in Kigali on April 7th. The invitations were sent at the beginning of the week.

However, the Élysée has not yet communicated its response to the Rwandan authorities. In any case, if the president were not to go there, Paris would be represented at a high level

After Paul Kagame’s first official visit in May 2018 during which France had announced his support for the candidacy of Louise Mushikiwabo at the head of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF), and a second visit for the ceremony of the November 11, it is now Emmanuel Macron who is expected on the side of Kigali.

The two presidents may meet at Nairobi’s One Planet Summit on March 14. Paul Kagame has not yet confirmed his presence at the new edition of this summit on climate, the first in Africa, but behind the scenes it says he could talk with Emmanuel Macron who co-organizes the event with the president Kenyan Uhuru Kenyatta.