Shake Hands With The Devil
(Lt. Gen. Romeo Dallaire)
French Canadian, Lt. General Romeo Dallaire, United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda, relates his experiences as Force Commander (FC) November 1993 to August 1994 in francophone Rwanda, Central Africa. Gen. Dallaire, a dedicated UN Commander, served during the Rwandan genocide when the majority Hutus (85% of the population) were in conflict with the minority Tutsi (15% of the population, plus some sympathetic Hutus).The genocide commenced 7th April 1994 with the killing of 10 Belgian soldiers and the civil war between the Rwandan Patriotic Front(RPF) led by Maj. Gen. Paul Kigame (the Napoleon of Africa) and Lt. Gen. Bizimungu of the Rwandan Government Forces(RGF) which lasted 100 days.The UNAMIR was both insufficiently supported and funded by the UN for their essential task of keeping the opposing Forces apart according to the Arusha Peace Agreement, August 1993.Gen. Dallaire, a bilingual and highly experienced commander, despaired of the politicking and endeavoured to highlight the genocide as practised by both belligerents by appealing to the media. On 24th April, the NGO Oxfam was the first organisation to use the term genocide for what was happening in Rwanda. The RGF sought peace whilst fomenting war, Gen. Dallaire felt he had shaken hands with the devil.The French intervention in the Humanitarian Protection Zone (HPZ) merely served to prolong the killing (800,000 deaths). Eventually, the world media succeeded in securing international aid, including U.S. super-aid in Goma, near Lake Kivu.The story of Rwanda confirms the failure of humanity to heed a call for help from an endangered people. 4 million people died (4x times the Rwandan genocide) between 1996 and 2003 when the RPF invaded the Democratic Republic of Congo and fought protracted campaigns against the armies of Congo, Zimbabwe, Angola and 4 other African states.A thought provoking book and well worth reading, clearly highlighting the deficiencies of the UN and the international community.
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