Tensions Rise in Rwanda as France and Belgium Escalate Evacuation Efforts

Strategic Insights -

Diplomatic tensions in Rwanda have reached a boiling point as France and Belgium maintain that their military and political objectives in the country are limited to evacuating foreigners, despite growing suspicions on both sides. Both nations have been accused of harboring biases towards the warring parties, with the Rwandan Government suspecting that Belgium favors the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front. Meanwhile, France's intervention has been met with skepticism by the rebels, who fear that humanitarian missions could be used as a cover for military assistance to the Hutu-dominated government.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Rwandan Government has allowed French troops to land in Kigali, but has only permitted eight Belgian troop-carrying planes to land after lengthy negotiations with UN officials.
  • France has sent 460 troops to Rwanda, with 525 of the 600 French citizens evacuated so far, mostly by air to Burundi and the Central African Republic.
  • Belgium has deployed 800 troops, with the first batch arriving to evacuate an estimated 900 Belgians living in Kigali.
  • The Rwandan Patriotic Front has warned against allowing humanitarian missions to be transformed into military assistance for autocratic regimes.
  • Françafrique, a group of French nationals and Rwandan citizens with ties to the French government, was accused of being involved in the assassination of the Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana, who was killed in a plane crash last Wednesday.

Statistics:

  • 460 French troops have been deployed to Rwanda.
  • 525 of the 600 French citizens in Rwanda have been evacuated so far, mostly by air to Burundi and the Central African Republic.
  • 900 Belgians are living in Kigali and are to be evacuated by Belgian troops.
  • 460 French troops are in Rwanda, including 30 French military advisers stationed in the country.
  • 10 members of the family of the late Rwandan President, Juvenal Habyarimana, were flown out of the country aboard French aircraft.

Sources:

  • The New York Times, October 1990: France sends 600 troops to Rwanda to bolster the Hutu-dominated Kigali Government.
  • Le Monde, December 1990: United Nations force replaces French troops in Rwanda.
  • Agence France-Presse, April 1994: Rwandan Government suspects that Belgium favors the Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front.