The Rwandan government approved Saturday evening June 12 the appointment of Antoine Anfré to the post of French Ambassador to Rwanda, a post vacant since 2015 due to tensions between the two countries over the role played by Paris in the 1994 genocide.
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French President Emmanuel Macron announced on May 27 the return of a French ambassador to Rwanda, during a visit to the capital Kigali marking a normalization of relations between the two countries. He then recognized the "
responsibilities
" of France in the genocide of the Tutsi of 1994, which left at least 800,000 dead.
The choice of Antoine Anfré for this post was approved on Saturday evening at a meeting of the Rwandan government cabinet, chaired by President Paul Kagame, according to an official report consulted on Sunday by AFP. Former ambassador to Niger (2014-2015), Mr. Anfré is quoted on several occasions in the report of a commission of French historians headed by Vincent Duclert handed over to President Macron in March and which concluded with "
heavy and overwhelming responsibilities
" of France in the genocide of the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Then “
Rwanda editor
” at the African and Malagasy Affairs (DAM) department of the foreign affairs ministry, he warned in 1991 against the risks of violent abuses in Rwanda and pointed to “
a necessary change
” in France's policy. in the region, according to the Duclert report which claims that his grades have led to him being sidelined from the DAM. A graduate of Sciences-Po and ENA, he notably held the positions of sub-prefect of Limoux (Aude) between 2000 and 2003, then of first embassy counselor in Nairobi and Ankara from 2006 to 2009. He also served as Embassy Counselor in London from 2011 to 2014.
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