Partout les Français rencontrent un accueil exubérant de la part des Hutu. Les miliciens ont des drapeaux bleu-blanc-rouge autour du cou, les enfants des pancartes indiquant « Vive la France »

Lucet, Élise

Aït-Habbouche, Morad

Poincaré, Nicolas

24 juin 1994

19940624

19:30:00

CEST

Journal de 19 heures 30

Partout les Français rencontrent un accueil exubérant de la part des Hutu. Les miliciens ont des drapeaux bleu-blanc-rouge autour du cou, les enfants des pancartes indiquant « Vive la France »

Près de la frontière zaïroise, les militaires français ont découvert des fosses communes.

ScriptFrance3JournalDe19Heures3024061994.pdf

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INA

Transcription d'une émission de télévision

FR

- Operation Turquoise and the first contacts between the French soldiers and the Rwandan population therefore did not cause any incident. Observatory mission in several places of the country. Near the Zairian border, the French soldiers discovered mass graves.
- We are in Bangui in the Central African Republic. It is mainly from there that the French men and equipment leave, heading for Goma and Bukavu in Zaire. Since yesterday [June 23] the deployment has been massive. Pierre-Jean Segnier, "commander": "The experience of humanitarian operations that have taken place recently proves that it is necessary to be able to show enough force to avoid using it and being forced to engage in combat".
- For the moment, on the roads taken by the French in Rwandan territory, there have been no incidents. The paratroopers are advancing, slowly but surely.
- Today, after taking up positions in two refugee camps, the soldiers left for Kibuye. 45 of them are currently going up Lake Kivu. Their mission is to assess the humanitarian situation. A situation where the horror is always present. General Raymond Germanos: "The contacts that were made made it possible, in addition to reassuring the people who were there, to still discover some mass graves".
- The French are probably not at the end of their surprises. Witness: these new images shot in Nyarubuye only two days ago. And a few hundred meters further on, Tutsi refugees still live in fear of new massacres.
- The first humanitarian mission of Opération Turquoise is therefore to come to the aid of the refugees in the Nyarushishi camp. 6,000 Tutsi are gathered there and they lack food and medicine. Upon arriving, the French soldiers were rather well received.
- Having arrived in Cyangugu yesterday afternoon [June 23], the French pushed further into the country today. The commandos have gone north, towards a city about which they know little or nothing. Towards the east, they went towards a forest in which many Tutsi refugees were hiding. Finally, towards the south, towards Bugarama where there would be a camp of 15,000 refugees. These soldiers are not very numerous, some 200 paratroopers and naval commandos, but they apparently want to act quickly. Everywhere they meet an exuberant welcome from the Hutu. The militiamen have blue-white-red flags around their necks, the children carry placards reading "Vive la France". Here, at Nyarushishi camp, the 8,000 Tutsi refugees also finally cheered on the French. These survivors of the massacres were the first that the parachute commandos reached. After weeks of anguish, they say they slept soundly last night for the first time.
- Since yesterday [June 23] several European countries have expressed their solidarity with Operation Turquoise. The French intervention seems to have created an electric shock, particularly in Europe. In any case, this is what Alain Juppé, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, asserts. Alain Juppé: "I was able to see today that all our partners approved of France's initiative and, in various forms (sending planes, sending medical units), were ready to join in on the logistical plan. This is an action in which France took the initiative. The United Nations gave it the green light. It will be deployed on the ground under the conditions that we had planned. I hope that the example thus given can then involve the international community".