"I remember," spoken in the local language Kinyarwanda by Emmanuel Macron. Did the French president find the right words in his speech at Kigali's genocide memorial? Macron acknowledged France's damning responsibility in the build-up to the 1994 genocide, an era when France backed a regime where hardliners gained influence. Paris should have seen the peace process unravelling, Macron said in a much-anticipated speech by a French president, hoping this marks a new beginning after 27 fraught years.
Was the French president right to stop short of an explicit apology and to follow the conclusions of historians that found no evidence that France actively participated in the genocide itself?
That has been a line often taken by then-rebel leader Paul Kagame, who has ruled Rwanda ever since. This time, he seems satisfied, saying the truth matters more than an apology. What's at stake for Paris and for Kigali? In particular, what does it mean for the generation born after 1994?
Produced by Charles Wente, Juliette Laurain and Imen Mellaz.
