Genocide of the Tutsi: what France could have avoided

On the occasion of the meeting about "Rwanda on the eve of the genocide of the Tutsi: the general who said no to Mitterrand", the journalist Laurent Larcher answered some of our questions 

 

Why a book about General Varret?

 

The story of this high-ranking officer in the French army tells the story of a generation of men. A generation marked by the Second World War, by the trauma of defeat, by the end of the French colonial empire (Algeria, Indochina), the end of its "greatness".

This book reminds us that Jean Varret was the only one of his generation to have understood what the Rwandan regime told him it wanted to do. He tried to warn his superiors so that France would change its policy in Rwanda.

 

Why is General Varret an exception?

General Varret received a Catholic education. He studied at the military high school, a training that implies a certain narrow-mindedness, conditioning, difficulty thinking about others, and an education devoid of ethics. However, he also worked with disciplines and professors (notably by studying psychology at the Sorbonne) who opened his mind, taught him to think for himself, and opened him to diversity.

Why publish such a book nearly 30 years after the genocide?

For several years, General Varret has been driven by a sincere desire to alert and transmit his story, this story to younger generations.

This book is for men and women who are preparing to become an officer but also for all people who are about to take on responsibilities or who are already responsible. This book invites them not to abandon ethics, an essential tool to inform their actions and decisions.

Without ethical baggage, we are headed for disaster, as evidenced by the tragic involvement of France in Rwanda.

What is the role of this book?

Raise awareness of the role of France in the process that led to the genocide of the Tutsi: the French authorities, with full knowledge of the facts, continued to support the Rwandan regime. For the second time in its history, France is associated with a crime of genocide.

To show that we must never give up on ethics in our decision-making, to show what happens when we avoid ethical questions in our decisions.

To learn more, participate in our meeting on Thursday, September 28, 2023 "Rwanda on the eve of the genocide of the Tutsi: the general who said no to Mitterrand" 

Free admission upon registration for the meeting on Thursday, September 28, 2023: "Rwanda on the eve of the Tutsi genocide: the general who said no to Mitterrand" 

The meeting is broadcast live on the Shoah Memorial’s Facebook, YouTube and Twitter accounts.