Jean-François Le Drian, the chief honcho at “Epoch-e”, has hopped onto the loony train, joining a ragtag crew of conspiracy theorists and fanciful storytellers who peddle tales of double-genocide.
To begin with, Le Drian levels a bizarre accusation that President Paul Kagame, was, somehow, acting as “Bill Clinton’s henchman” during the very liberation struggle that ultimately brought an end to the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi, with the aim of creating what can only be described as a product of his own imagination – a place he fictionally labels “Tutsiland.” One cannot help but question the rationale behind such a claim. How, one might ponder, could anyone possibly create a “Tutsiland” by betraying the very people they purportedly intended to safeguard, thereby subjecting them to a genocidal campaign?
Nevertheless, Le Drian clings tenaciously to his web of conspiracy theories, asserting that the blame for instigating the mass exodus of Hutus into the Congo lies on the shoulders of Clinton and President Kagame. This claim conveniently sidesteps a crucial historical fact: in the aftermath of the RPF’s victory over the genocidal forces, France embarked on what can only be labeled as a dubious “humanitarian” mission “Operation Turquoise” aimed to rescue the genocidal HutuPower regime that it had long supported in the neighboring Zaire (now the DRC). This covert operation was undertaken with the sinister intent of regrouping and rearming these forces, effectively enabling them to continue both the civil war and, by extension, the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi.
In the real world, the sole workable solution to halt the genocidal forces from persisting with their sinister “final solution” against the people of Rwanda was a resolute military intervention. This resulted in an operational to disassemble the refugee camps where the genocidaires were hiding, which, in turn, triggered a substantial repatriation of Hutu refugees to Rwanda.
Le Drian’s claim that the events that followed this operation resulted in 10 million deaths is also not only unfounded but also contradicts established demographic research. Belgian demographers André Lambert and Louis Lohle-Tart estimated that the number of deaths due to the disturbances in the region was around two hundred thousand, far from the inflated figure Le Drian presents. Moreover, Le Drian conveniently omits the role of other actors, including Angolan, Zimbabwean, and Congolese armies, as well as pro-Kinshasa militias such as dozens of Mai-Mai, in the violence during that period.
In the end, one can’t help but question why Jean-François Le Drian is resolute on keeping alive unfounded myths and conspiracy theories, despite the wealth of solid research and historical evidence that has thoroughly discredited them? It’s because he’s received financial incentives from Tshisekedi. He epitomizes the type of individual who, when the price is right, would be willing to betray even their own family.
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