On 4 October 1990, French military forces intervened in the escalating conflict between the Rwandan Patriotic Army (RPA) and the Rwandan government forces (FAR). Under the guise of protecting French nationals residing in Rwanda, approximately 200 to 300 French soldiers were deployed to Kigali and other strategic locations. The French intervention came under the operation code-named Noroît, which aimed to bolster the regime of President Juvénal Habyarimana against the growing military pressure from the RPF.
This intervention marked the beginning of France’s significant involvement in Rwanda’s internal conflict, which would later play a contentious role in the lead-up to the 1994 Genocide. Critics argue that France’s actions were motivated by a desire to maintain influence over Rwanda and protect its strategic interests in the region, particularly in relation to the growing influence of the RPF, which sought to overthrow the Habyarimana government.
On the same day, the RPA’s 9th Battalion achieved a key military victory, capturing the town of Nyagatare in the northeastern part of Rwanda. The capture of Nyagatare was a significant setback for the Habyarimana government and symbolized the growing strength of the RPA, which had launched its military campaign to end the Tutsi exclusion from political power and push for democratic reforms in Rwanda.
In a move to consolidate its control and divert attention from the RPA’s advances, the MRND government (the ruling party under Habyarimana) faked an RPA attack on the capital, Kigali, during the night of 4-5 October 1990. This deception was used as a pretext to arrest thousands of Tutsi and political opponents. These arrests were part of the government’s wider efforts to suppress perceived threats and eliminate those it considered potential collaborators with the RPF. Many of those arrested were Tutsi civilians and Hutu moderates, who were accused of supporting the RPA’s cause or advocating for peace and power-sharing in Rwanda.
The events of 4 October 1990 are significant not only because they marked the start of French military intervention but also because they demonstrated the government’s brutal tactics in silencing dissent and stoking ethnic tensions. These actions contributed to the deepening political crisis and further entrenched the divisions between the Habyarimana regime, the RPF, and the Rwandan population. The military intervention and the false narrative of an RPA attack on Kigali would later play a role in the escalating conflict that eventually led to the 1994 Genocide.
Key Takeaways:
- French military intervention in Operation Noroît occurred under the pretext of protecting French nationals but was widely perceived as supporting the Habyarimana regime.
- The RPA captured Nyagatare in a significant military advance, demonstrating their growing strength.
- The MRND government used a fabricated attack on Kigali to justify mass arrests of Tutsi and Hutu political opponents.
- The actions on 4 October 1990 contributed to the ethnic polarization and political repression that would later culminate in the 1994 Genocide Against Tutsi.