François Mitterrand

The Duclert commission's 2021 research in French state archives placed Mitterrand's Rwanda policy under renewed scrutiny. It described grave political responsibilities arising from France's alignment with the Habyarimana regime and failures to recognise the genocidal process. The commission did not find archival evidence establishing French complicity in the genocide, a distinction that must not disappear in retelling its conclusions. Wider access to the files enabled further debate about presidential decision-making, missing records and the difference between historical responsibility and a legal finding.