Rwanda and France on Wednesday signed two agreements on migration cooperation and employment access for family members of diplomats serving in the two countries.
The agreements were signed by Rwanda’s ambassador to France, François Nkulikiyimfura, France’s director for foreign nationals at the Interior Ministry, Laurent Touvet, and France’s ambassador to Rwanda, Aurélie Roussel-Garneau.
Officials from both countries said the agreements would strengthen cooperation on migration issues while making it easier for eligible family members of diplomatic personnel to work in their host country.
The signing came a day after Rwandan President Paul Kagame visited France, where he joined French President Emmanuel Macron at the inauguration of a memorial in Paris dedicated to victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.
Kagame thanked Macron for supporting the establishment of the memorial, known as “Les Archives,” saying it would help preserve the historical record of the genocide and support remembrance efforts.
The agreements come as Rwanda and France continue to deepen ties after years of strained relations linked to France’s role before and during the genocide.
Relations deteriorated in the years following the genocide amid political and judicial disputes. In 2006, Rwanda severed diplomatic relations with France after French judge Jean-Louis Bruguière issued arrest warrants for several senior Rwandan officials.
The two countries restored diplomatic ties in 2009 and have since expanded cooperation through high-level visits and partnerships in areas including education, justice, development and trade.
In 2021, a commission led by French historian Vincent Duclert concluded that France bore “serious and overwhelming responsibilities” for its actions in Rwanda between 1990 and 1994, although it did not find France complicit in the genocide.
Later that year, Macron visited Kigali and acknowledged France’s responsibilities regarding events surrounding the genocide, a move that contributed to improving relations between the two countries.
