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Investigation made by Serge Farnel into the participation of white soldiers in the eradication of the last pocket of resistance to the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

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This genocidal massacre of May 13 and 14, 1994, in Bisesero (western Rwanda), a month and a half before Operation Turquoise, claimed nearly 50,000 Tutsi civilian lives. The Tutsi of Bisesero, abandoned for three days at the end of June 1994 by French soldiers of Operation Turquoise, were the survivors of this massacre. This abandonment may have been motivated by the concern that no witnesses would remain to the participation of white soldiers (identified as French by former perpetrators of the genocide who massacred Tutsi alongside them) in the May 13 massacre.

Information: The investigation into the participation of white soldiers in the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi in Rwanda has been the target of unsuccessful attempts at denigration. Investigator Serge Farnel himself has been the target of slander aimed at discrediting the dozens of testimonies he and other investigators collected. Witnesses have been accused of accepting money to lie, even though these investigations were conducted with the active participation of a representative from Ibuka (a Rwandan association of genocide survivors) who was introduced to the investigators by Ibuka's own leadership. The first of these investigations was carried out with the support of the Rwandan Ministry of Justice and the former National Commission for the Fight Against Genocide.

A defamation lawsuit has been filed by Serge Farnel against the editor of an association's website. The trial took place in Paris. It was ruled that defamation had indeed occurred and that the defamer had failed to prove his accusations against Serge Farnel.

The judgment states that the evidence presented by the defense "does not establish the truth of the defamatory statement, since the first piece of evidence is not related to the defamatory allegation found in the remarks, and the sole statement by Eric NZABIHIMANA, which indiscriminately and imprecisely targets witnesses to whom money was allegedly promised, is insufficient to provide complete, conclusive, and correlative proof of its truth."

The defendant was therefore acquitted only on the grounds of good faith, the judges having determined that he had published the defamer's remarks in good faith, believing them to be true.

Any further instance of this defamation would no longer benefit from this good faith and would result in a conviction.

The five documents submitted by the defense as evidence proved to be unrelated to the case, even though the president of the association whose French branch the defendant headed had, two years earlier, publicly stated that, following a "thorough investigation," there was no longer any doubt about the veracity of the accusations. The opposing evidence presented by the plaintiff (Serge Farnel) comprised approximately one hundred items.

Furthermore, the defense had no other witnesses to its evidence besides the defamer himself, as the court had agreed to allow him to testify to his own defamation. Despite this, the judges did not consider his testimony conclusive. The plaintiff, for its part, summoned seven witnesses.

Among these seven witnesses, the five witnesses for the plaintiff (Serge Farnel), testifying to the presence of white people on May 13, 1994, in Bisesero (some of whom were able to specify their French nationality), were not granted passports by the Rwandan authorities to travel to Paris to give their sworn testimony, despite the fact that a Rwandan bailiff had served them with a summons to appear.

The French judges rejected the plaintiff's request for a postponement of the hearing. As a result, accusations were made against these witnesses for the plaintiff during the hearing, without them being able to respond other than with the written statements they had previously filed with the court clerk. These statements, however, were not considered as counter-evidence; only their sworn testimony could have been. The plaintiff was thus deprived of the means to present a counter-argument.

The key fact of this trial is that, despite the obstruction of witnesses for the plaintiffs:

It was one of the witnesses (Mr. Marcel Harerimana), called to testify in good faith of the defamer, who confirmed under oath that he had seen white people in Bisesero on May 13, 1994. This sworn testimony is consistent with the numerous and corroborating testimonies of other Rwandans who maintained that they had seen them firing on Tutsis.

Furthermore, in 2025, fourteen witnesses signed a statement confirming their testimony from fifteen years prior regarding the presence of white people in Bisesero on May 13, 1994 (some witnesses confirming on this occasion the French nationality of these white people). This statement supplements the sworn testimony of this presence given on May 5, 2025, by Marcel Harerimana.

Excerpt from Serge Farnel's letter to the President of the Court of Appeal (translation) :

"The legal action taken was dictated solely by the desire to put an end to a campaign targeting me, attacking my honor. I prefer frank discussions and open dialogue to battles, including legal ones.

I was touched by the message I recently received from someone I hold in high esteem, who thanked me for ending the proceedings, reminding me of what I have done for the survivors, and also commending my fight against denialism. This expression of sympathy reinforced my belief that I had made the right choices, the last of which led to appeasement.

On this important date, which coincides with the week of commemoration of the genocide perpetrated against the Tutsi of Rwanda, I wish to tell that I had no other choice but to initiate these proceedings, firstly because every person must be able to defend themselves against slander, wherever it comes from, secondly because while I am committed to the duty of Remembrance, I am at least as committed to the duty of History.

That is why I gave my defamer the opportunity to prove the truth of his defamatory statements, which he was unable to do. For my part, I never doubted that it could be otherwise, short of going too far into illegality.

Fifteen years ago, I made a solemn promise to survivors to do everything in my power to give voice to their stories.

I have kept that promise."

The initial hearing revealed that some survivors who did not understand French were misinformed and may therefore have believed that the investigator, in his books, had distorted their statements, making them claim to have seen French people on May 13, 1994, in Bisesero, when they had, at least for their part, simply told him they had seen white people. This was never the case, as anyone can verify since both the videos and written documents are public and available. Those who testify regarding the French nationality of these white people are perpetrators of genocide.

The plaintiffs, in a letter dated April 9th ​​to the President of the Court of Appeal, stated that they had terminated the proceedings because the five witnesses they had summoned in the initial trial "still have not received their passports, which are a right under Rwandan law, even though their applications date back to January 2025, more than a year ago." They added that they had confirmation that a Rwandan national, not included on the list of witnesses for their counterclaim, had obtained their passport within a few days.

Don't let yourself be swayed and do not turn away from the survivors who have had the courage to speak. LISTEN TO THEM BY CLICKING HERE.

On May 13, 1994 in Bisesero in Rwanda on Kagari hill, Mr. Sylvain Nyakayiro saw white soldiers shooting at Tutsi civilians, among which he was, from Mataba hill.

"These white soldiers were killing Tutsi civilians, including my elder sister Mukasine Nelly, with very large guns."

Boniface Mutuyemungu on the same places in Bisesero in Rwanda on Nyiramakware hill:

"Saw police and two white soldiers shooting at us, Tutsi civilians, from Mumubuga hill."

"These white soldiers were killing Tutsi civilians, including my nine-year-old son Nkunrunziza, and my other son, Mazimpaka, aged 10, with very large arms."

Jean-Baptiste Hakizimana testifies in these terms:

"On May 13, 1994, while I was in Rwanda on Mumubuga hill, I saw militiamen, Rwandan soldiers and several white soldiers shooting at us, Tutsi civilians.."

"Later in the day, crossing the Rwirambo road towards the Kazirandimwe hills, I saw white soldiers on this Rwirambo road firing towards the Kagari and Muyira hills."

"On May 13, four members of my family died, my mother Colette Mukundufite, my sisters, Tatienne Mukangarembe, Emmanuelle Mudankaka, and Umuhoza."

Emmanuel Karibana testifies in these terms:

"On May 13, 1994, I saw white soldiers near the primary school near Mumubuga hill in BIsesero, Rwanda."

"These white soldiers were with the authorities of Gishyita commune. All of them were killing Tutsi civilians with very large firearms; including my family, we were opposite on Nyiramakware hill, that day my wife, Béata Nyirahavugimana, was killed, along with my 8-year-old daughter Kiromba and my 12-year-old son Nshimiyimana."