The French ambassador was refused admittance to any ceremonies in Kigali marking the 20th anniversary of genocide in Rwanda, while France denied that the country had anything to do with the actual genocide.
French Ambassador Michael Flesch said in a phone call that he was "disappointed" to not be allowed to attend ceremonies, reports The Associated Press. The envoy sent to Rwanda for the anniversary did not include the French justice minister.
The disagreement between the two countries came about because Rwandan President Paul Kagame laid part of the blame for the genocide, which left at least 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus dead and many millions displaced from their homes, at France's feet, according to AFP.
Kagame said the French were "actors" and complicit in the atrocities that occurred in 1994. He said that French soldiers were involved in training the Hutu nationalist Rwanda army and helped those involve escape punishment.
France must face a "difficult truth" for its role in the genocide, the foreign minister, Louise Mushikiwabo said.
The comments sparked a backlash by France, with Edouard Balladur, prime minister back in 1994, telling Europe 1 radio, "France is in no way complicit in the genocide. On the contrary, it of all countries in the world was the only one that took initiatives to organize a humanitarian operation to prevent widespread massacres."