In a highly anticipated message marking the 30th anniversary of the Rwanda genocide, French President Emmanuel Macron failed to provide the expected acknowledgement of France's responsibility and its potential to prevent the mass killings. Macron's message, aired on French and Rwandan television, reiterated his previous position on France's involvement but omitted any acknowledgement of fault.

Macron referred back to his speech on May 27, 2021, where he acknowledged France's responsibility in Rwanda but maintained that France was not an accomplice in the genocide. He stated, "I think I said everything on the 27 May 2021 when I was with you." In his pre-recorded video, Macron expressed the importance and cruelty of Rwanda's history but declined to add or remove anything from his previous statements.

The 1994 genocide saw extremists from the Hutu ethnic group target and kill approximately 800,000 people, including Tutsi minorities and Hutu moderates. Recent findings by French historians in a 2021 report have assigned significant responsibility to France, stating that it was "blind" to the preparations for genocide. The French government, under President François Mitterrand, backed the Hutu leaders at the time.

The French presidency had briefed journalists last week that Macron would go further in recognizing France's failures to intervene and stop the genocide. However, Macron's message fell short of these expectations, leading to criticism and confusion. The Elysée Palace acknowledged a communication error, with a press officer stating that "there is no new step from the president" in acknowledging France's responsibility.

Le Monde reported that an initial version of the video with a different message had been prepared prior to the commemorations. The inconsistent messaging from the Elysée Palace has drawn criticism from the Institut François-Mitterrand, which has called for clarity on Macron's stance regarding France's role in the genocide. Former Socialist minister Jean Glavany questioned whether Macron deliberately failed to acknowledge President Mitterrand's humanitarian efforts to save lives during the genocide.

Macron did not attend the commemorations in Rwanda; instead, his Foreign Minister Stéphane Séjourné and Junior Minister for Maritime Affairs Hervé Berville represented him. The absence of a higher-level presence further fueled criticism of Macron's handling of the issue.

Given Macron's failure to explicitly address France's role and possible prevention of the genocide, the significance of this milestone remains as a missed opportunity to advance the country's recognition and reconciliation efforts with Rwanda and the international community.