BBC - France declassifies Rwanda genocide archive

France has declassified documents relating to the Rwandan genocide, the president's office has said.

The files, including advice given to then-President Francois Mitterrand, will be able to be viewed by researchers and victims' groups.

The mass killings in 1994 claimed more than 800,000 lives, mostly ethnic Tutsis and moderate Hutus.

France has admitted making mistakes over the genocide but denies Rwandan claims of complicity.

Last year France pulled out of 20th anniversary commemorations after the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame, renewed allegations France played a direct role.

The violence was triggered by the death of President Juvenal Habyarimana, an ethnic Hutu who was killed when his plane was shot down.

The genocide came to an end after Mr Kagame's Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) - a Tutsi-led rebel group - defeated government troops later that year.

Source: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-32213158