France Prepares to Intervene in Rwanda, Won’t Wait for U.N.

Despite a lukewarm response from potential partners, France prepared on Saturday for imminent intervention in Rwanda.

“Every hour counts,” declared President Francois Mitterrand, who said France would act without waiting for a U.N. peacekeeping force to be assembled.

Mitterrand made clear, for the first time, that France would act within days even if no Western partners can be found. Cabinet ministers hope some African nations will join the mission, helping avoid the impression that France was barging single-handedly back into a country where its past involvement remains a subject of controversy.

“France won’t go alone,” Defense Minster Francois Leotard said.

Foreign Minister Alain Juppe, visiting West Africa to muster support for intervention, said 1,000 to 2,000 soldiers would be needed for the force. He did not specify how many troops France was prepared to supply.

Juppe also said Senegal had agreed to contribute an unspecified number of soldiers.

France said Friday it planned to introduce a U.N. Security Council resolution for swift approval of a humanitarian military intervention in Rwanda.

“It’s a matter of days and hours,” Mitterrand said Saturday during a UNESCO conference on development. “Two or three African countries have responded positively. I’m still waiting for firm responses from European countries. But whatever the case, we will do it. Every hour counts.”

Belgium, the former colonial power in Rwanda, and the United States have indicated they would provide equipment or logistic support for an intervention force, but no troops. Among Western nations, only Italy has shown interest in sending troops.

Several African leaders have welcomed the proposal, but Rwanda’s Tutsi-led rebel movement denounced it, saying France cannot be viewed as impartial because of its past military support for the Hutu-dominated government.

A cease-fire was negotiated during an Organization of African Unity summit in Tunisia that ended Wednesday. But Mitterrand said he and other French officials decided to act on their own because it appeared any U.N. peacekeeping force might take weeks to be assembled.