Tensions between France and Rwanda
rose Wednesday after the African country barred French
ambassador Michel Flesch from a memorial ceremony marking the
20th anniversary of the 1994 genocide.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame accused Paris of having had
"a direct role in the preparation" of the mass slaughter, and
the French ambassador was declared 'persona non grata'.
French ex-premier Eduoard Balladur, who held his post
during the period in question, called the charge a "lie" with an
agenda behind it, while Kagame insisted France was involved
"before, during and after" the genocide.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon remarked on the UN's shame
for failing to prevent the extermination.
From early April to mid-July, members of the Hutu majority
executed an estimated 500,000 to 1,000,000 Tutsi and moderate
Hutu, or as much as 20% of the country's total population.
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