French SF in Rwanda : Episode 5 - more intelligence records

[blaster_e11]

This account is based on a letter written by Capitaine de Vaisseau Marin GILLIER member of the Commandement des opérations spéciales (COS – spec ops command) in 1998 adressing the French SF intervention in Rwanda in 1994. It has been published recently in a french newspaper. I twas originally sent to the French Parliamentary mission on Rwanda.

Gillier was the leader of 50 SF troops (GIGN and Navy commandos for the most part) operating in Rwanda in 1994. The French intervention, blessed by the UN, was to prevent genocide and protect NGOs.

June 24th : we penetrate Rwanda territory for a 1st recon mission from Cyangugu to Kirambo were we discover a Hutu refugees camp. As ordered we walk back by the evening to get our equipment back. We spend the 25th analyzing our first impressions and adapting our material and tactical positions.

Early morning the 26th, we go back to the Kirambo camp. People here say they fear an attack from infiltrated FPR (front patriotique rwandais) tustsi troops. We organize a protective detail. The 27th, a team scouts Gishyita a small town North from the camp. People there state that a FPR forward element is threatening a eastern village. We leave a part of our troops in Kirambo and we go to Gishyita along with 30 something soldiers. We set up a protective perimeter and radio our sitrep. Around noon, we hear automatic weapon fire and explosions around our area of responsability. From 5 kilometers it’s impossible to know exactly what’s going on. According to the locals, the fighting takes place in an area called Bisesero where villagers are attacking the infiltrated FPR. I ask my command wether we should go and check. The UN mandate doesn’t allow interfering between FPR and militias. Furthermore we don’t have enough troops to sustain a direct confrontation which result might jeopardize the whole operation. So i’m not surprised when i don’t receive the green light.

We spend the whole day on the 28th reinforcing our defensive positions and talking to locals in order to better understand the situation. Our detachment is also ask lots of things : support here, intervention there, food or medicines elsewhere… We ask once more to go to Bisesero. The situation is quiet and the Command without any precise intel about the area agrees for a night infiltration up to a ridge to be used as an observation post. The point is not to give the impression of a French involvement on one side or another. A team made of Navy commandos and GIGN operators is sent by night. They come back on the 29th with nothing to report. By afternoon, the French Defense Minister is on the ground inspecting our positions.

I explain him our thoughts about the great human distress and the lack of proof of slaughters. I suggest we go to Bisesero « en force » with choppers in order to confirm the rumors. Back up helos are now available they’ll be useful if we have to exfiltrate in an hurry. We have to cross the area and go as far as a small village where a French priest is living, that is 20 kms east. We spend the whole evenig planning for this mission. By daylight, the 30th, we leave. Some journalists, hearing the motors, ask if they can come with us. I can’t accept considering the unknown developments to come.
We progress as fast as the terrain allows it without making us an obvious target. I lead the convoy, nothing particular to notice. We reach the village early in the afternoon. An officer tells me he saw strange looking people while on the rearguard and asks permission to check. He suspects Tutsies but he’s not sure. I send him and his team on this mission. The priest welcomes us and confirms the general insecurity but decides to stay with his parish. He's hiding four tutsis in his home (3 kids and a woman). I suggest we'll take them to safety but he is afraid the Hutu population of the village takes notice of this and then attacks him when the French troopers leave.


More to come soon

[steelbonnet]

Interesting post Julien.

Interesting report coming from the captain. So is there going to be more reports published by him?

If yes please DO post them in this thread

ja
Steel Bonnet

[Morian Miner]

Yes, do post more when you can.

[blaster_e11]

i've got to translate the last part of the letter, unfortunately he only wrote about this particular episode

translation coming soon anyway

[blaster_e11]

As i was talking with the French priest, the officer who’ve been scouting the area called on the radio for the detachment to come ASAP. I’m worried and i tell the priest i’ll be back within two days. We then leave to link up with the other team. The officer briefs me : he met some Tutsis who explained they were persectued. And they look like they’ve been persecuted. Furthermore, Hutus are gathering around us in greater and greater number and closer and closer. Tension is thick.
For the first time the 30th by midafternoon in Bisesero we witness the cruel Rwanda tragedy. We set up a protective perimeter in order to any suspect person to enter the area.

We gather the Tutsi victims and begin medical help and cares for the worst cases. Journalists meet us and ask what happened. I send them to a protected waiting area : people are dying and i don’t want anybody messing around. We radio our report and organize searching parties around our camp. The first survivors explains hundreds of Tutsis are hiding in the surroundings. We demand Helos for medevacs and look for a night and day landing zone as it’ll soon be dark.
Onece the situation is under control i meet with the journalists and tell them priority was saving the injured and protecting the journalists.
Hidden people are gathered, medical help, food and covers are distributed, locals’ weapons are checked and taken away, the operations last till morning the 1st of July 1994.
We have gathered 800 Tutsi people. They are the only survivors of a 10 000 people community. 96 of the worst cases are evacuated by chopper. 200 others are taken care of on site.

In the early morning, survivors begin a chant. That’s how they thank us for saving their lives. Im’ overwhelmed by emotion and understand at this very moment the true meaning of my joining the French Army. But reality is harsh, my men are tired. We resume the recon mission of the Bisesero valley and discover hundreds of dead bodies of all ages and in all kinds of state. It’s unbearable. I leave for Gishyita and find the Hutu Bourgmestre, the only legal authority here. I ask him to explain what happened in this area placed under his responsability. He finally admits talking about tutsis that they had to « take care of this mud »… I can’t do anything but report what i heard since i have no police authority.
I’m told that we’re going to be relieved in order to scout another area. I insistto get two helicopters in order to exfilm the 4 Tutsis hidden by the French priest. The 1st chopper lands in the middle of the village with food. As a diversion, we gather the hungered locals and we sort them by family, by gender…

Meanwhile, the 2nd chopper lands near the Church off the village. Four commandos offload a trunk. Once in the church they open it. They give the food to the priest and they put the woman and the 3 kids in the trunk. They quickly leave with the chopper. The operation is alla bout stealth and speed : four lives are saved. Back to Gishyita, we are to leave to Gicongoro.
Our relief is effective the 1st of july in the afternoon. After my report of the situation, i strongly suggest the need to further investigate the deeds and declarations of the bourgmestre. I can’t do it myself since we have to leave ASAP.
We spend the hour before dark planning our mission. The SF leave definitely the area of Bisesero that night.

[steelbonnet]

Man I couldn`t do that job. be in the middle of something like that & NOT do anything without orders.

Plus add that you have the parasidic journalists getting in the way too,so they can report "THERE" version of events & get there Air time.

You truely do have to be made of stern stuff or just not care. This Capt certainly shows he cares.

Love the part of the Fast/Stealth evac of the 4 tutsi`s in the church,Nicely done there

Thank`s very much for sharing Julien

Please if anymore please do post I think it`s great to get French reports of events in recent history. Well any Nation for that fact.

After all it`s going to be these people (Military/SpecOps community)
who can give us the firstHand look of how things truely are & not the "OUR VIEW" the journalists tend to feed us.

Thank`s again Julien for sharing

ja
Steel Bonnet

[blaster_e11]

i'll try and find something else to post about opération turquoise or else

don't worry if i find anything, i'll translate and post it

[steelbonnet]

Thank`s mate & again Appreciate it too

Ja
Steel Bonnet

[blaster_e11]

i've found a press article from a French newspaper. it explains why Cpt Gillier wrote his letter.

I'm gonna work on a quick summary/translation, and post it here

[blaster_e11]

The following is the translation of a press article (published in march 2006 by Le Figaro). The journalist who covered the Rwana conflict in 1994 explains new testimonies on the bisesero tragedy. This article convinced Captain Marin Gilier to write the letter that i posted last week.

12 years after the tutsi genocide in Rwanda, the role played by France is still puzzling. The 23th december 2005, the French military court opened a case. He received two testimonies of Rwanda survivors who wanted a trial for complicity of crimes against humanity.
This brings the whole Opération Turquoise under the scrutiny of Justice. This operation had been launched in 1994 by former French President François Mitterrand (now deceased).

Bisesero is a moutain at the far west of Rwanda near the Kivu Lake. For weeks, people were killed there. When French troops meet the survivors 3 months after the slaughter, it took 3 days to help them. What happened during these 3 days is the reason of complaint of rwanda survivors.

According to the journalist, what happened in Bisesero in June 1994 reveals the ambiguous aspect of Opération Turquoise.

An account of Marin Gilier’s experience in Rwanda was published in the French Navy magazine « Cols bleus » in 1994. Back then he explained first how they were welcomed by the very people who perpetrated the slaughtering of civilians. He realized who they were after the Bisesero episode.

1994 June the 26th, six days after François Mitterrand announced the French intervention in Rwanda a journalist, Vincent Hugueux informs captain Gillier of mass murders on the near Bisesero Hills.

The following day, three journalists join a colonel leading a COS detachment, on a recon mission towards Bisesero. The account of this mission has been published in Le Figaro the 29th of June 1994. It begins with the testimony of murderers who show no remorse of any kind. It follows with the rage of French soldiers disgusted by these mureders who welcome them with French flags and pictures of the French president.
The story goes on with the discovery of survivors of Bisesero. To these survivors the colonel made a promise : if you survive a couple days we’ll be back. The same evenig he reports to the chief of staff : « if we go up there to protect thousands of people, we’re choosing a side on this conflict. We are ready to do it, we will follow orders. What will Paris decide ?

3 days later, the day after a visit by the French Defense Minister, François Leotard, French troops lead by Cpt Marin Gillier get on site and begin civilan relief. 800 survivors are saved. The whole moutain is covered by dead bodies.

Until then, Opération Turquoise stays on the humanitarian side. And the promise of the colonel has been kept. However, the French involvement is puzzling and 4 years later in 1998, a Parliamentary comitee is set up. A report is writted including a letter wrote by Marin Gillier. The Captain explains he met the survivors during a random recon mission.

What about the story of the COS colonel ? Why weren’t Members of Parliament informed of the colonel’s version ? Why doesn’t Gillier talk about the journalist/informant Vincent Hugueux ?
It’s important since Rwanda militiamen comitted mass mureders during the very three days before the French intervention.

Furthermore, a interview of a former GIGN NCO, member of Gillier’s team, was broadcasted on the radio (France Culture, 22/04/2005). « We were watching people shooting at each other everynight. We thought i twas Tutsi killing Hutus (that’s what their hierarchy made them believe, in reality it was the other way around). We had orders not to move, not to do anything ».
About Bisesero : « we heard people talking about a valley Bisesero, where Tutsis wre said to be heavily armed. One day, we disobeyed our commander (Gillier) who had forbidden us to go there. Around Bisesero we saw the real thing : in the valley 10 000 people had been killed. There were only 800 survivors. At this moment we understood that Hutus were slaughtering Tustis every day. »

In 1992 the same GIGN NCO came to Rwanda to train the local secret service « I learnt that guys i had trained comitted mass murders too (…) They were really well trained, i think they might have killed a lot of people ». He carry on : « French soliders trained Rwanda militias (…) it was troopers from the 1er RPIMA (régiment parachutiste d’infanterie de marine, Marine Paratroopers), since this unit was deployed there ».

It’s odd nobody in the government took notice of this testimony.

One of the survivors heard by French courts is from Bisesero. HIs name is Innocent and he was 14 back then. He says between june the 27th and the 30th, numerous atacks took place. « I was hit by a club on the head the 28th. (…) Militiamen weren’t afraid to kill in front of French soldiers ». Auréa was 27 in 1994 accuses French troopers in the Murambi refugee Camp. Several members of his family were killed or disappeared as they seek refuge in the camp.

Eric was studying to be a priest in 1992 when he saw French artillery open fire on Byumba. His testimony was not taken into account by French justice though. In 1994, he’s in Bisesero when the French troopers under the colonel’s command first meet the survivors.


According to General JC Lafourcade, commanding the Opération Turquoise in 1994, « the governement asked 1st to train the rwanda military against the FPR then without warning to launch Opération Turquoise without taking side.

General Quesnot, Advisor Of François Mitterrand on Military matters wrote two notes in 1994 : « All our efforts are to be in vain if the FPR wins a militray victory and wants to impose the will of the Tutsi minority.(…) Ouganda president Museveni and his allies are going to establish a Tutsiland with the anglo-saxon help and the complicity of ours o-called intellectuals, who are obvious relays of a tutsi lobby.

[Morian Miner]

Very interesting reading. Amazing how it always happens. Most people just turned their back when it happened. But if someone was there, and didn't do anything for 3 days, they are charged with complaciancy.

[blaster_e11]

French military authorities have accepted to reveal intelligence documents about the French supposed involvement during the Rwanda genocide in 1994.

The 105 DGSE notes will be declassified for the judge in charge of the enquiry following the lawsuit attempted by 6 victims of the genocide against French authorities for the involvement of French forces during the genocide.

The soldiers are accused of rape, murder and complicity in ethical cleansing by letting hutu militiamen kidnap tutsi refugees

[blaster_e11]

3 French army officers have testified this week for a former Rwandese colonel accused of genocide in front of the international court for Rwanda.

The commander of the 1994 opération Turquoise and two other generals (colonels by then) have vouched for the former chief of staff of the rwandese defense minister.

Since 2006, France and Rwanda have broken diplomatic contacts and French antiterror judge, Jean-Louis Bruguière has launched several arrest warrants agains rwanda officials






picture of the arrest of 3 hutus by French Soldier in july 1994[/img]

[blaster_e11]

French troopers arresting Hutu people during Operation Turquoise (july 1994)


more intelligence reports have been opened for the judiciary enquiry. They are from the French Presidency's archives. the judge received a digital version of them on June the 27th. These archives should prove useful in identifying the responsabilities in the genocide.

It looks like former French special forces have been doing some merc job in Rwanda. Capitaine Paul Barril (former GIGN operator and head of the French President security detail) is supposed to have been smuggling arms in Rwanda