April 27, 1994 marked the 21st day of the 100-day Genocide against the Tutsi, as killings intensified across Rwanda under the interim government orchestrating the atrocities.
On this day, envoys of the genocidal regime were received in Paris by French authorities, despite the ongoing mass slaughter of Tutsi across the country.
France remained the only country to maintain direct engagement with the regime at a time when evidence of genocide had already become clear.
The two envoys, Jérôme Bicamumpaka and Jean Bosco Barayagwiza, were received at the Élysée Palace and Matignon, after being denied visas by the United States and Belgium.
They held meetings with senior French officials, including then Prime Minister Édouard Balladur, Foreign Affairs Minister Alain Juppé, and Bruno Delaye, head of the Africa unit at the French presidency.
At the time, Barayagwiza served as Director of Administration and Finance in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and was a member of the executive committee of the extremist CDR party. He was also among the founders of RTLM, a radio station that played a central role in inciting the genocide.
Bicamumpaka, then Minister of Foreign Affairs under the interim government, was known for extremist rhetoric, including statements at the United Nations that sought to justify the genocide.
Human rights organizations strongly criticized France’s decision to host the envoys, questioning how individuals linked to mass atrocities could be received at such a high level. French authorities initially framed the meetings as part of continued dialogue before later describing the visit as a “private” engagement.
Observers argue that France was fully aware of the envoys’ roles and that such engagement provided political backing at a critical moment during the genocide.
Massacres reported across multiple regions
On the same day, large-scale killings of Tutsi continued in several parts of Rwanda.
In Gikonko, now in Gisagara District, more than 25,000 Tutsi were killed after being gathered at the commune grounds from areas including Rusatira, Ruhashya, Shyanda, and Mbazi.
Local authorities used loudspeakers to summon Tutsi to a football field under the pretext of security. Over two days, victims were assembled before soldiers opened fire from elevated positions, while militias armed with traditional weapons surrounded the area, killing those who attempted to escape.
Killings were also reported on Nyamure Hill in present-day Muyira Sector, Nyanza District, then part of the former Butare Prefecture.
An estimated 22,378 Tutsi were killed at Nyamure, with bodies left scattered across the hill due to the scale of the massacre.
April 27, 1994 remains a stark reminder of both the international context surrounding the genocide and the continued mass killings that devastated communities across Rwanda.
