C'est de justesse que le Conseil de sécurité a donné son autorisation à l'action française au Rwanda hier [22 juin] en début de soirée

Bobillier, Laurence

Gérouard, Jean-Paul

Gringoire, Jean-François

23 juin 1994

19940623

12:00:00

CEST

Journal de 12 heures

C'est de justesse que le Conseil de sécurité a donné son autorisation à l'action française au Rwanda hier [22 juin] en début de soirée

Les dirigeants du FPR estiment que la politique pro-hutu menée dans le passé par la France la disqualifie pour agir au Rwanda.

ScriptFrance3JournalDe12Heures23061994.pdf

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France 3

INA

Transcription d'une émission de télévision

FR

- The first French soldiers arrived in Goma at a base on the border between Zaire and Rwanda. A total of 2,500 will be engaged in Operation Turquoise to help civilian populations. This military action began with the green light from the UN.
- 10 votes for, five abstentions, the Security Council narrowly gave its authorization to French action in Rwanda yesterday [June 22] at the start of the evening. Almost immediately at the Zairian border, the start of Operation Turquoise: French forces, the number of which has not yet been communicated, were deployed to the border towns of Goma and Bukavu. They were sent from Bangui, their regrouping centre. At the same time, Jaguar planes prepositioned themselves at the Zairian airport of Kisangani.
- A total of 2,500 men must take part in the operation. Officially none of them had crossed the Rwandan border this morning. The staff indicated that the first objective of this operation, which is intended to be humanitarian, will be Cyangugu where 8,000 Tutsi refugees would be in danger.
- This very first mission obviously aims to convince the rebels of the Rwandan Patriotic Front, mostly Tutsis, of the impartiality that France wants to adopt in this conflict. For the time being, it has not succeeded: the leaders of the RPF still believe that the pro-Hutu policy pursued in the past by France disqualifies it from acting in Rwanda. For them, they reaffirmed, this is an aggression that will be fought with arms.
- This morning the Rwandan Patriotic Front reaffirmed its total opposition to the French intervention. However, its representatives promised that they would not have an aggressive attitude on the ground towards the French troops, unless the military prevented them from pursuing their objectives.
- Disappointed but not surprised the leaders of the RPF, present in Paris this morning, by the decision of the United Nations to support the French intervention in Rwanda. What these men expected from France was for it to equip UN troops for this mission, the humanitarian nature of which they do not deny, but above all not for Paris to send its own men into the field. What the opposition movement takes for pure provocation. Jacques Bihozagara, "representing FPR Europe": "We have no limit on our territory! If we have to move forward, we will do it where we want!".
- An aspect of things that will surely encourage the French soldiers on the spot to be very cautious. As for the French policy in Rwanda, it was not spared by the leaders of the RPF. Jacques Bihozagara denounces the partisan activism of certain collaborators of François Mitterrand who have so far prevented the President of the Republic from having a clear view of the situation in Rwanda. The leaders of the RPF, who do not lack arguments, are still wary of France, of its real good will, and think that this intervention remains a trap.
- France, taking this initiative, seemed rather isolated on the international scene. But Alain Juppé is not of this opinion. The head of diplomacy spoke before the Senate Defense and Foreign Affairs Committees. Alain Juppé: "I wanted to emphasize the fact that we obtained the resolution we wanted at the Security Council, which is not proof of France's isolation. Secondly, the reactions of principle from our American and European partners, Africans are very largely positive. Even if some and others obviously underline the difficult nature of this operation. We are aware of this more than others".