By Dr BIZIMANA Jean-Damascène
During the Genocide, the senior officers of the Rwandan Armed Forces (FAR) continued to exchange with the senior French officers in charge of the Rwandan problem. Among the dialogs which have come to light include the one between General Huchon and Lieutenant-Colonel Rwabalinda.
1. High-level interactions between FAR officers and French officers
On May 9, 1994, General Huchon hosted Lieutenant Colonel Ephrem Rwabalinda, Adviser to the Commander-in-Chief of the Rwanda Defense Forces (FAR).
General Huchon has been a dominant figure in negotiating with the Rwandan Armed Forces. He commanded the 1st RPIMa special battalion of forces in charge of intelligence services. He became the deputy of General Quesnot at the General Staff headquarter who was in charge of President Mitterrand’s special military unit, he was then appointed as the head of the Military Cooperation Mission, which dealt, among other things, with all matters of training of African forces. He occupied this post during the genocide.
2. The dialogs between General Huchon and Colonel Rwabalinda
In their conversation, the two senior officers discussed the following priorities:
“- Support to the Government of Rwanda in terms of international politics; -the physical presence of French soldiers in Rwanda […] for helping hands within the framework of cooperation; -whether or not other foreign forces should be indirectly used; […] ». General Huchon committed to supply 105mm ammunition, ammunition for small arms, as well as communications equipment to facilitate the flow of secret communications between him and General Augustin Bizimungu, commander-in-chief of the FAR. These communications were intended to prepare for France direct military intervention in Rwanda.
In the rest of his report, Rwabalinda indicated that General Huchon had undertaken to provide 105mm ammunition, ammunition for small arms, as well as communication equipment to facilitate the flow of secret communications between him and General Augustin Bizimungu, Commander-in-Chief of the FAR:
“The secure telephone allowing General Bizimungu and General HUCHON to converse without being listened to (cryptophony) by a third person was routed to Kigali. Seventeen other telecommunications equipment with 7 frequencies each, were also sent to facilitate communications between militia units in the city of Kigali. They are awaiting boarding in Ostend. It is urgent to arrange an area under FAR control where landing operations can be carried out safely. The Kamembe runway has been kept appropriate for operations on condition that all holes are plugged and possible spies circulating around this airport are kept aside”.
Rwabalinda returned to Kigali with a satellite controlled telephone to serve the FAR commandant in chief for his field trips.
The genocidal government continued to receive military support from France, through the complicity of French military, and through the decision of the French authorities, led by President Mitterrand. (End)
Done at Kigali on May 9, 2020
Dr BIZIMANA Jean-Damascène, Executive Secretary/National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide (CNLG)