Rwanda became a priority country for Swiss development assistance shortly after its independence in 1962. In addition to conventional development cooperation, Switzerland also sent diplomats to serve as economic and legal advisors to the Rwandan president. After ethnic «cleansing» and a military coup in Rwanda in 1973, this advisor project was discontinued in 1975.
In the latest article of the journal Saggi di Dodis, Chantal Marquart traces the circumstances that led to the end of the sending of presidential advisors, described internally as a prestigious project. It appears that this decision was not only motivated by financial and personnel constraints, but also by the fear that Switzerland might be accused of being too close to the Rwandan military regime. Humanitarian considerations, which would also have been expected in light of the events, played a less important role.
The article by Chantal Marquart is available for download at dodis.ch/saggi/3-5 Open Access.
For more articles from the journal Saggi di Dodis: dodis.ch/saggi