Operation Turquoise, Murambi, Rwanda Editorial Photo

Operation Turquoise was a French military operation in Rwanda in 1994. The French had provided the Hutu-dominated Habyarimana government with extensive military, and diplomatic support, including a military intervention to save the government during an offensive by the rebel Tutsi-led Rwandan Patriotic Front. The area of French influence, known as Zone Turquoise, within the Cyangugu-Kibuye-Gikongoro triangle, was spread across a fifth of the country (June 1994). Although it was meant to save lives and stop the mass killings, killings did occur.