Talk:Radio-Television Libre des Mille Collines

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From Rwandan Genocide :-

On April 6, 1994, the airplane carrying President Habyarimana and Cyprien Ntaryamira, the President of Burundi, was shot down as it prepared to land in Kigali. Both presidents were killed when the plane crashed. The exact responsibility for this act is not known.

This page says :-

Radio des milles collines is famous for reporting the rumour that Belgian soldiers had attacked the presidential aeroplane of Agathe Uwilingiyimana, the prime minister, on April 7, 1994.

Agathe Uwilingiyimana was Prime Minister, and nowhere near a plane AFAIK on the 6th. Was the supposed attack on the 7th, or was it just reported then ? What was the rumour ? Wizzy 09:03, Jan 16, 2005 (UTC)

Sorry Wizzy, you're totally right. I just had a total brain melt down after translating for hours. Sorry! Páll 16:28, 16 Jan 2005 (UTC)


No offense to the originator of this page, but it appears to have several mistakes or inaccuracies:

  • First of all, the name of the organization is Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (hence the acronym RTLM), meaning "Free Radio/Television of the Thousand Hills".
    • As such, I am going to try to move this article to one with the more appropriate name.
  • I have heard rumors of Belgian involvement in the assassination, but they are far from popular. More likely, either the FPR or the dominant end of the Hutu government (Akuza, most likely) committed the act. Some even think the French might have supplied both the missiles and the technicians trained to use them. Even fewer believe that the assassination was planned and executed by Mobutu Sese Seko of Zaīre (a bad idea, as one could argue that the genocide was responsible for Mobutu being removed from power). To assert Belgian complicity over all of these is reckless, at best.
    • The best answer is, in my opinion, that no matter who actually fired the missiles, RTLM reported that the Tutsi rebels (FPR) killed the president, in order to incite immediate and fervent furor towards the Tutsis, thus starting the genocide.
  • The rest of the article appears to be true, albeit nothing noteworthy. Maybe a mention of the arrest of the station management and subsequent "hate media" trial. GLeuty 23:30, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

For the en wikipedia, try to choose a page name without diacritics - like Radio-Television Libre des milles collines. Was there any Television involved ? Surely most of what they did pre-genocide (which, frankly, is their only noteworthy reason to be here) was radio-based ? I am happy with the name as it is. However, any clarification on the name belongs in the article. However, the missile story has a whole section under Rwandan Genocide - please add details there. Of course, reporting of the event belongs here. Wizzy 20:44, Feb 3, 2005 (UTC)

Sorry; that was my edit up above, I just forgot to tag it. As far as the name goes, you're right, to date I've never heard mention of RTLM using television (probably because that might require them to show their faces and admit complicity, which would have made the hate media trials a lot easier), but the crux of the matter is that Radio-Télévision Libre des Mille Collines is a proper name, and as such it is necessary to use the whole name. Also, you're right about my diatribe on who fired the missiles; the discussion of who did what and when is best left for the main article on the genocide, but the fact that RTLM would have blamed the event on FPR rebels is important to the definition of RTLM as it pertains to RTLM's use in inciting the genocide. Again, it's just my two cents, but as far as the name goes, I'm fairly firm in my belief. Also, I'm going to take your advice on using the diacritics; technically, it's correct, but nobody on the en Wikipedia site (in their right mind, anyway) is going to try to type those. Maybe I'm just a stickler for authenticity. GLeuty 23:30, 3 Feb 2005 (UTC)

Can anyone confirm whether or not RTLM was a "pirate" radio station as described in the article? In all my readings of the station, there has been no indication that it was an illegal operation. Cheers. - PullUpYourSocks 15:23, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

I'd have to agree, although I had not chnaged it simply because I had not thought of it, fully. From all of my readings, RTLM was not only quite legal, but well sponsored and well connected with Radio Rwanda, whose network they used to broadcast nationwide. GLeuty 22:46, 6 Feb 2005 (UTC)

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