ABSTRACT
In the aftermath of the April 1994 genocide in Rwanda, a large portion of the French media and most International Nongovernmental Organizations vigorously denounced French policy in Rwanda, going as far as accusing the government, of complicity in the genocide. In response, the French government insisted that it had supported Arusha and contributed to the peace process in Rwanda. The "mitterandisation" of French policy in Rwanda, which numerous accounts claimed after the genocide, has probably been exaggerated. The relative importance of Rwanda must be assessed in this context. Existing evidence available to the writer suggests that if the President of the Republic erred seriously in Rwanda, these were errors of omission rather than commission. In the Rwanda case, there are two ways of looking at the French military presence. The mismanagement of the Rwanda crisis is also linked to institutional barriers within each ministerial department.
