French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwandan President Paul Kagame on Tuesday inaugurated a memorial in Paris dedicated to the victims of the 1994 Rwanda genocide.
The monument, located on the banks of the River Seine in central Paris, serves as a tribute to the estimated 800,000 men, women, and children who were killed during the genocide.
Speaking during the ceremony, Macron described the memorial as the result of a long journey toward historical truth and remembrance.
“The memorial marks the culmination of a long and patient quest for truth,” he said.
Macron stressed the importance of preserving historical accuracy at a time when competing narratives and political interests increasingly shape public understanding of the past.
“In a world where empires sometimes have the temptation to falsify history, in this moment also where the past is a battlefield, telling the truth is more necessary than ever. This is the condition for peace,” the French president stated.
Rwandan President Paul Kagame also addressed the gathering, acknowledging France’s efforts to confront its role during the genocide while noting that the process had taken time.
According to Kagame, France had a unique opportunity to observe and respond to the warning signs before the killings began.
“France was in a unique position to observe and to act. It took too long for France to come to terms with its role, causing additional pain, and on some points we still have not found consensus,” he said.
Despite those concerns, Kagame praised France for its willingness to examine its historical responsibilities.
“No country has gone as far as France in setting the record straight and accepting its part in the tragedy,” he added.
The monument, titled The Archive, was created by Berlin-based Portuguese artist Grada Kilomba.
The memorial consists of two black brass steles engraved with a tribute to the victims of the genocide.
An inscription on the monument reads: “Here, like an archive, rest the voices and words, the memories and experiences, the feelings and hopes of the victims and the survivors.”
The genocide began on April 6, 1994, after the plane carrying Rwandan President Juvénal Habyarimana was shot down.
Habyarimana, who was an ethnic Hutu, died in the crash.
Following the incident, extremist Hutu groups blamed the Tutsi minority for the attack and launched a campaign of mass killings.
Supported by elements of the military, police, and militia groups, the attackers targeted Tutsis and moderate Hutus across the country.
The violence continued for approximately 100 days and remains one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century.
The Paris memorial forms part of France’s broader effort to acknowledge its historical role during the genocide.
In a landmark speech delivered in Kigali in 2021, Macron recognised France’s failure to act on warnings of impending massacres and acknowledged the country’s responsibilities during the period.
The inauguration of The Archive represents another step in the ongoing process of remembrance, reconciliation, and historical reflection between France and Rwanda.
Observers say the monument stands as both a tribute to the victims and a reminder of the importance of confronting difficult chapters of history to prevent future atrocities.
