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September 19, 2024 French

Les affrontements ethniques au Rwanda auraient fait plusieurs dizaines de milliers de morts. L'opération Amaryllis vient de commencer

Card Number 29567

Number
29567
Author
Amar, Paul
Author
Joly, Françoise
Author
Cornet, François
Date
9 avril 1994
Ymd
19940409
Time
20:00:00
Time zone
CEST
Uptitle
Journal de 20 heures [3:45]
Title
Les affrontements ethniques au Rwanda auraient fait plusieurs dizaines de milliers de morts. L'opération Amaryllis vient de commencer
Subtitle
Les rebelles font route sur la capitale pour combattre la garde présidentielle et menacent même d'affronter les troupes françaises si elles devaient se trouver sur leur route.
Size
11898588 bytes
Source
Public records
INA
Type
Journal télévisé
Language
FR
Abstract
- In Kigali, Rwanda, where ethnic and political clashes are said to have caused tens of thousands of deaths.
- There are nearly 3,000 foreigners in this country, including 600 French. This is why French soldiers were deployed to the city this morning to begin the evacuation of Western nationals.
- The operation is called "Amaryllis". It has just started. These men are Belgian soldiers. They leave their military base in Tielen, it was last night. A few hours later, aboard these planes they flew to Kigali, the capital of Rwanda. Their mission: to ensure the protection and evacuation of foreign nationals stranded in a capital on fire and bloodshed.
- Because we have to act quickly, in Kigali this very morning at 6.30 am, 280 French paratroopers seized the airport. Their objective: to hold this strategic place and make it a bridgehead to evacuate the foreign community; 1,500 Belgians, 600 French but also several hundred Germans, Americans, Italians and Canadians.
- The French forces come from the Central African Republic, from Bangui. And it is to Bangui that these expatriates of all nationalities should be evacuated. At this very moment, French civilians are gathering in the Rwandan capital. Christian Dardanne, French national in Kigali: "We have a rallying point which is the French school in Kigali. For the moment it only concerns women and children. At the French school in Kigali, we are taken into charged by the military. The instructions are very simple: do not leave the dwellings, prepare a bag in the event of a departure".
- The most difficult thing for the paratroopers of the 3th RIMa is to ensure a connection between the airport and the city center. Especially since the situation remains confused and fighting has resumed between rebels and government forces. It would even seem, in recent hours, that it has become extremely dangerous for French soldiers to hold Kigali airport.
- This evening, the International Red Cross no longer speaks of thousands of dead but of tens of thousands of victims.
- The rebels make their way to the capital to fight the presidential guard and even threaten to confront the French troops if they should be on their way. The civil war, the war between Hutu and Tutsi ethnic groups, is again on the march in Rwanda.
- Lieutenant-Colonel Pochet, "deputy commander of the UN forces in Kigali": "Expatriates have so far not been the target of fighting and abuse. For the moment, we are asking everyone to stay put and only assemble when everything is clarified.All nationals are informed by the embassy of what is happening and what they must do when the time comes. a French unit which is occupying the airport at this time. Belgian soldiers will arrive in the next few hours. And tomorrow we will be really numerous to evacuate all the nationals who want it in complete safety".
Comment
The 20 o'clock news of France 2 of April 9, 1994 is visible in its entirety here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RwTkJ6S_ET8