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Macron, Kagame inaugurate Rwanda genocide memorial in Paris

By Reuters Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Rwandan President Paul Kagame after the inauguration ceremony of a double stele artwork by artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
French President Emmanuel Macron shakes hands with Rwandan President Paul Kagame after the inauguration ceremony of a double stele artwork by artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters

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PARIS - French President Emmanuel Macron and his Rwandan counterpart Paul Kagame on Tuesday inaugurated a memorial in Paris to honour the victims of the 1994 genocide against the Tutsis in Rwanda.

Macron said the memorial placed the genocide of the Tutsis "at the heart of our capital and our history", and that it was "the culmination of a long and painstaking quest for the truth".

• In May 2021, during a visit to Rwanda, Macron recognised his country's responsibility in the Rwandan genocide and said he hoped for forgiveness, seeking to reset relations after years of Rwandan accusations that France was complicit in the 1994 slaughter of an estimated 800,000 people - mostly ethnic Tutsis. However, he stopped short of issuing a formal apology.

• This was after a commission established by Macron concluded in March 2021 that France had been blinded by its colonial attitude to events leading up to the genocide and bore a "serious and overwhelming" responsibility for failing to foresee the slaughter.

• The memorial on the banks of the Seine river in the heart of Paris is named "L'Archive". It was designed by Portuguese artist Grada Kilomba. It consists of two black steles and bears an engraved tribute to the hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children massacred between April and July 1994.

(Reporting by Dominique Vidalon)

French President Emmanuel Macron, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Rwanda's First Lady Jeannette Kagame stand at attention after laying wreaths of flowers during the inauguration ceremony of a double stele artwork by artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
French President Emmanuel Macron, Rwandan President Paul Kagame and Rwanda's First Lady Jeannette Kagame stand at attention after laying wreaths of flowers during the inauguration ceremony of a double stele artwork by artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwandan President Paul Kagame arrive to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
French President Emmanuel Macron and Rwandan President Paul Kagame arrive to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters
View of a double stele artwork by the artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide during its inauguration ceremony at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
View of a double stele artwork by the artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide during its inauguration ceremony at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters
French President Emmanuel Macron talks with guests after the inauguration ceremony of a double stele artwork by artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool
French President Emmanuel Macron talks with guests after the inauguration ceremony of a double stele artwork by artist Grada Kilomba, a new memorial site paying tribute to the victims of the Rwanda's genocide at the Habib-Bourgiba esplanade along the River Seine, in Paris, France, June 2, 2026. REUTERS/Sarah Meyssonnier/Pool Sarah Meyssonnier Reuters

Copyright Reuters or USA Today Network via Reuters Connect.

This story was originally published June 3, 2026 at 2:20 AM.

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