The Collectif des Parties Civiles pour le Rwanda (CPCR), an organization committed to pursuing justice for victims of the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, has initiated new legal action in France against major French financial institutions. The group accuses the banks of facilitating transactions that allegedly supported the genocidal regime.
Action Against BNP Paribas
The case involving BNP Paribas dates back to 2017, when the CPCR—alongside NGOs Sherpa and Ibuka France—filed a lawsuit accusing the bank of authorizing a $1.3 million transfer from the National Bank of Rwanda to a South African arms dealer.
According to the complaint, the transfer occurred during the genocide and after the United Nations imposed an international arms embargo in May 1994.
A French judicial investigation was opened in August 2017 and, according to the CPCR, remains ongoing.
New Complaint Against the Banque de France
In December 2025, the CPCR announced a new legal complaint, this time targeting the Banque de France, the country’s central bank.
The organization alleges that the Banque de France enabled the then-Hutu regime to continue purchasing weapons by failing to freeze the National Bank of Rwanda’s accounts during the genocide.
The complaint further claims that the bank authorized several financial transfers between May and August 1994, despite clear indications that the funds were linked to arms purchases.
CPCR’s Ongoing Pursuit of Accountability
The CPCR says its mission is to ensure accountability for all individuals and institutions involved in the genocide, including those who provided financial support or facilitated the regime’s activities.
By pursuing these cases, the organization aims to underscore the role financial institutions can play in enabling human rights violations and conflict—while calling for greater scrutiny and responsibility across global financial systems.
