The Minister of National Unity and Civic Engagement, Jean Damascène Bizimana, has dismissed claims circulating online alleging that he was in France during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, describing them as false and part of a misinformation campaign.
In a statement posted on his X account on Monday, April 13, 2026, Dr. Bizimana responded to ongoing public debate about his whereabouts during the Genocide, firmly rejecting the allegations.
He clarified that he was not in France during the Genocide, stating that he only travelled there later for academic studies after the Genocide had already been stopped.
“I was not in France during the Genocide against the Tutsi. I went there for studies after the Genocide had been halted. Those claiming I was there before or during the Genocide are mistaken,” he wrote.
Dr. Bizimana further alleged that the claims were fabricated by individuals he described as extremists engaged in propaganda and defamation, naming Fortunatus Rudakemwa and Jean Marie Vianney Ndagijimana among those he said were spreading the accusations.
He urged the public to disregard what he called deliberate distortions, and to instead focus on remembrance and national unity during the ongoing commemoration period.
Dr. Bizimana holds a PhD in Law from the University of Toulouse in France, obtained in 2004.
