Mukantaganzwa made the remarks on Friday, September 11, 2026, while addressing members of the press, two days after France’s Court of Cassation, the country’s highest court, confirmed the dismissal of the long-running case concerning the alleged failure of French troops to intervene to protect Tutsi who had sought refuge in the Bisesero hills in western Rwanda.

“What I can say about it is that it is a decision that Rwanda’s judiciary is not pleased with because, as you know, France is one of the countries that has tried many people involved in the Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, although most of them, I believe, were Rwandans,” Mukantaganzwa said.

The case was brought in 2005 by six Genocide survivors and human rights organisations, who accused French soldiers serving under Opération Turquoise of knowingly failing to protect Tutsi civilians at Bisesero, where hundreds were killed between June 27 and 30, 1994.

French courts subsequently halted the investigation, with the dismissal upheld at several stages before the Court of Cassation rejected an appeal on September 9, 2026.

The Court of Cassation found that French soldiers could not be expected to act without precise orders from their chain of command and found no evidence that officers intended to facilitate crimes against Tutsi civilians.

The court also said the delay before the rescue operation reflected the time needed to clarify a confused situation, while the soldiers had limited information about the killings and the nature of the Genocide against the Tutsi.

Mukantaganzwa said the decision would remain a matter of discussion, while acknowledging that judicial matters are handled through established legal channels within sovereign states.

“So perhaps, because it concerns their own citizens, that is where the issue arose. But it is an issue that will continue to be discussed. We cannot say that we are pleased with it, but at the same time, in terms of national sovereignty, judicial matters have their own channels through which they must proceed,” she said.

The Bisesero case has remained one of the most contentious legal issues surrounding France’s role during the Genocide against the Tutsi.

The decision by France’s highest court brings the particular legal proceedings against the French soldiers to an end, although questions surrounding the conduct of French forces during Opération Turquoise continue to feature in broader discussions about accountability and France’s role during the Genocide against the Tutsi.