Abstract
- "France has no intention of going to war in Rwanda". In all tones and in several voices, this is the official refrain that we heard today and which aims to clarify French policy in this part of Africa.
- On the ground the fighting has calmed down today. The RPF wants to form a government of national unity.
- The French soldiers strengthen their position in Gikongoro. 300 soldiers arrived with their equipment. They have drawn up a 10-kilometer perimeter around the city that the Rwandan Patriotic Front rebels must not cross. French soldiers are patrolling. They are ready to retaliate if attacked. They installed trucks equipped with machine guns and anti-tank missiles.
- On the ground, the Turquoise device transforms into an interposition force. And inside the Safe Humanitarian Zone, refugees are pouring in. There are now 400,000. The creation of this zone was approved by the UN Secretary General but François Mitterrand also recalled that France was not at war: "The Rwandan Patriotic Front is not our adversary! We are not trying to hold back its possible success! We are simply saying: 'There must be somewhere where people in danger can find help'. We are extending a helping hand. That is where our action ends".
- This evening Valéry Giscard d'Estaing declared that France had to bring its forces back to the border because we had gone too far. But the Rwandan Patriotic Front minimized the risk of confrontation with the French military. Victorious in Kigali, the RPF announced the upcoming formation of a government of national unity.