Sir, The Irish media coverage of Francois Mitterrand death made much of his having been a "friend of Ireland" Unfortunately, he was not a friend of Africa and of Rwanda in particular.
The French government under Mitterrand was an enthusiastic supporter of the former Rwandan government, supplying it with, generous quantities of aid and armaments. Indeed, French troops were regularly dispatched to offer direct military assistance to that government. This was the same Rwandan government which planned the genocide, launched in April 1994, of up to a million people, and which had earlier been responsible for numerous massacres and other human rights abuses of which the French authorities were well aware.
During the early 1990s, French government policy towards Africa was administered by an office under the control of the presidency and run by Mitterrand's own son. The direct responsibility of the presidency was widely noted in Rwanda, where crowds chanted "Thank you President Mitterrand" at extremist rallies in the run up to the genocide. Mitterrand was referred to as "Mitterhamwe" in Rwanda, in recognition of the role of French forces in training for notorious interhamwe militia, later responsible for carrying out the genocide.
On April 27th, 1994, three weeks after the genocide had begun, Mitterrand personally and, officially received in Paris two spokes people for the genocidal government, at a time when the Belgian government refused the same two men visas. The French government continued to supply ammunition to the Rwandan army up until June 1994.
Subsequently, Mitterrand disclaimed any responsibility for what had happened in Rwanda implying that his government had not been able to prevent rival forces killing each other. The truth is that his government had armed and encouraged the force which was solely responsible for the crime of genocide.
It is understandable that the late president's other policies were highlighted in the recent obituaries. But it is regrettable that this particular policy did not receive greater attention given that it contributed to the deaths of almost a million people. Yours etc., Ashworth Place, Harold's Cross, Dublin 6.