France will build a memorial in Paris to honor the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi. The announcement follows President Emmanuel Macron’s 2021 acknowledgement that France bears responsibility for the atrocities committed in Rwanda. The monument will be situated on the Left Bank of the Seine, near the foreign ministry, and directly across the river from an existing memorial to the victims of the Armenian mass killings during World War I—an event recognized as genocide by Yerevan and several Western states.
The French presidency said the memorial is intended “for the nation to pay its visible and permanent respects to the memory of the victims,” and that a call for tenders will be issued at the end of May. Marcel Kabanda, president of the Ibuka France genocide‑survivor association, welcomed the decision, calling it “very important” and a sign that France “recognises its history.” He added that the gesture would help heal the memories between France and Rwanda and soothe the hearts of genocide survivors.
In 2021, President Paul Kagame announced that Rwanda and France were moving toward restored friendly ties, a process supported by a series of joint initiatives. A commission of historians appointed by Macron that same year delivered a damning assessment of France’s role, stating that France had been “blind” to the preparations for the genocide and bore “serious and overwhelming” responsibility—findings the French government accepted. While the commission found no evidence of direct French complicity in the killings, its leader, Vincent Duclert, said the new memorial would acknowledge “the extreme importance of the 1994 catastrophe” and underscore France’s responsibility.
The renewed Rwanda‑France relationship is founded on truth, according to Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Paul Kagame in May 2021. Macron noted that, despite historical challenges, the two countries have been working together since 2017 to revive bilateral ties, achieving significant progress. He pledged that France would accelerate efforts to bring to justice fugitives responsible for the genocide who have found refuge in France, noting that more than 40 such individuals are known to reside in the European Union.
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