Dallaire Discontent With The United Nations

From 1993 to 1996, The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda was commissioned when a peace treaty signed by the two tribes – The Hutus and Tutsis. Under the supervision of Romeo Dallaire when the peace broke lose. The next few months were “hell” as slain government officials, innocent Tutsis and Hutus laid on the streets in this massive genocide. In “Shattered” by Eric Walters we are introduced to a former soldier from the civil war in Rwanda named Jacques. Jacques was born and raised in the Canadian army as his father and grandfather were soldiers too. He was trained in the Special Ops Unit that he could withstand unarmed combat. Jacques served in Yugoslavia, Haiti, the Middle East twice wearing the blue beret of The United Nation

The UN had failed to resolve conflict in Rwanda there is still some little minor conflict going on in Rwanda this day. The UN had put up some camps for the tutsis and helped alittle for people to seek shelter and safety. The hutus knew that the UN could not do anything physical because they are primarily peacekeepers and trying to resolve the problem so the hutus was still killing everyone so nothing was resolved.

Considering the UN’s recent failures to facilitate peace in Africa, more care should have gone into assigning leadership roles. While Dallaire came across as a passionate and enthusiastic leader, he admitted he lacked experience and had no prior knowledge on the history of Rwandan cultural or its ethnic conflicts. Even as Dallaire set up his campaign in a rundown hotel in Kigal the peace agreement was being undermined. His arrival was marked by a slew of riots and assassinations, all of which were tests of his ability to maintain the peace. It soon became apparent to Dallaire and Hutu extremist than the UN was ill prepared to handle the peace keeping mission at hand.

As a result, the Belgian government and other contingents of the UNAMIR called for the immediate withdrawal of all troops. Out of the original 2,500 troops, Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire stayed behind with only 270 UNAMIR soldiers to assist the Tutsi people. A request for immediate reinforcements of 5,000 troops was sent out by Lieutenant-General Dallaire, which was denied by the UN. Eventually, on 17th May 1994, the UNSC agreed to deliver 5,500 troops and other much-needed equipment to the UNAMIR troops. The UN troops focused on evacuating foreign nationals, and

The movie “Shake Hands with the Devil” is a true story about the brutal history of the Rwandan genocide. It is originally a book that was written by Romeo Dallaire; who is a Canadian humanitarian, and retired senator, that served as a force commander of UNAMIR (United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda). The movie shows tragic scenes of how the feud between the Hutus and Tutsis affected their way of living harshly. Overall, the validity of the film is quite high, however, it contains some additional incorrect facts. Therefore, the accuracy of most of the information in “Shake Hands with the Devil” is reliable.

Through the months, April to July in 1994, approximately 800,000 to 1 million Tutsis and some moderate Hutus were massacred in the Rwandan genocide. More than 67% of women, who were raped during the genocide were infected with HIV and AIDS. In many cases, this resulted from a systematic and planned use of rape by HIV+ men as a weapon of genocide. Due to poverty, over half the children who survived stopped their schooling. 40,000 survivors are still without shelter, many whose homes were destroyed in the genocide. In July 1993 General Roméo Dallaire was provided with little information on the background of the conflict in Rwanda. When requested for current intelligence, he was denied and given little access to the information. Romeo went into the mission of Rwanda as what they call “a blind man”. Due to the lack of information Canada was given, the mission was planned poorly as they were provided with inexperienced experts in economic, political and human rights operational

The United Nations failed Rwanda, in a time of need they abandoned the Rwandan people giving them no physical protection. Sadly, things go wrong with the slaughter of almost 800,000 Rwanda people, left defenseless in a country where no one outside cared. U.N. troops were present as only “peace-keepers.” The dispute was between the Hutus and Tutsis people could of been controlled if the U.N. changed their position, but the result could bring more consequences. This conflict between the two social groups in Rwanda,was left to be resolved on its own with many lives lost.

The massacre in Rwanda began in April 1994 and ended in July 1994, it lasted a total of 100 days. In Rwanda there are two main ethnic groups the Tutsi and Hutu. The goal of the genocide was to get rid of all of the Tutsi nation (Rwandan Genocide of 1994, March 25, 2011). The Tutsi nation was a popular nation in Rwanda. A man named, Romeo Dellaire, was the general. He led the peacekeeping mission on the behalf of Canada. Romeo Dellaire saw many things in the war and it provoked him to become an advocate for the victims of the genocide (Romeo Dellaire, April 4, 2008). As families of Rwanda finally got to go home after a long 100 days of being in camps, away from home and treated poorly, they were walking to ships. One elderly lady said “I hear there is peace in Rwanda” Rwandan Refugees Treck Home, March 18, 2003). “The first of Rwanda’s long march of refugees was a single file line of ragged but relatively healthy families,” (Rwandan Refugees Trek Home, March 18,

The final reason why the United Nations is to blame for Rwanda’s Genocide is because of the fact that they ignored evidence of planned genocide and abandoned Rwandans in need of protection. The United Nations failed trying. The independent report, commissioned by UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan ( who was in charge at the time of the Rwandan Genocide), says the UN peacekeeping operation in Rwanda was hopeless from the start by an poor consent and destroyed by the Security Council's unwillingness to strengthen it once the slaughters, murders and rape began. UN officials, together with Annan and then-Secretary-General

Rwanda has a long history that has contributed to their experiences of great violence and suffering and therefore the need for a peacekeeping. In pre-colonial times there was a division between the superior people being the Tutsi’ and the peasant people being the Hutu’s. King Ruganzu Ndori, being a Tutsi outlined Hutu’s area and showed no hesitation in treating any Hutu’s who opposed the order with unmitigated harshness.

Rusesabagina’s accounts have left me to believe that the United Nations could have easily stopped the progression of the genocide in the beginning. If they had stayed in Rwanda to portray the slightest bit of protection to the people, I believe the Hutu murderers would be have been threatened enough to back off for the time being. Also, Rusesabagina’s account of asking the White House for help at the last minute and recalling how each person responded with an obscure declination

The many tears that stream down my face cry for the generations of my kids to come. I sit here as an innocent victimized Tutsi woman, to tell you my story of the Rwandan genocide and how it impacted my people. Through many years of pain and suffering I sit here before you to relieve my anger and install my knowledge of why the Belgium through colonization only installed more love in me toward my people and hatred towards me for not being able to help my people. My name is Immaculee Ilibagiza a Tutsi woman and this is my survival, comfort story.

The Rwandan president, Habyarimana and the president of Burundi, Cyprien Ntaryamira, are killed when the president’s plane is shot down near Kigali Airport, on April 6th, 1994. That night on the 6th of April, 1994, the genocide begins. Hutu people take to the streets with guns and machetes. The Hutus set up roadblocks and stopped anyone that looked Tutsi or suspected of helping Tutsi people to hide. On April 7th, 1994 the Rwandan Armed Forces set up roadblocks and went house to house to kill any Tutsis found. Thousands of people die on the first, while the U.N. just stands by and watches the slaughter go on. On April 8th, 1994 the U.N. cuts its forces from 2,500 to 250 after ten U.N. soldiers were disarmed and tortured and shot or hacked to death by machetes, trying to protect the Prime Minister. As the slaughter continues the U.N. sends 6,800 soldiers to Rwanda to protect the civilians, on May 17th, 1994, they were meant to be the peacekeepers. The slaughter continues until July 15th, 1994, in the 100 days that the genocide lasted 800,000-1,000,000 Tutsis and Hutus

In the story “My Parent’s Bedroom” by Uwem Akpan, Monique is a cross between Hutus and Tutsis, the two tribes that used to coexist but the Hutus then turn on the Tutsis. Monique’s relationship with her father should be the most heartbreaking because it changes from Monique having a caring father, but he’s now an enemy that she may still love. Sometimes, Papa will give Monique the cold shoulder, “Stubborn girl, have you no eyes to see that your brother needs a bed? Put him in the bedroom and stop disturbing my life,” (14).

Rwanda is a small country located in central Africa. It borders with Uganda, Burundi, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Tanzania. One of the most terrible “ethnic conflicts” occurred here in 1994, two tribes fought each other within the same territory, the rest of the world bizarrely ignored this event and thousands of people were killed. The event lasted 100 days and almost 1 million people died, even though the Rwanda government asked other countries for military