This week marks the 12th anniversary of the Rwandan genocide. An estimated 937,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were massacred by two extremist Hutu militias during a period of 100 days from April 6th through mid-July 1994. More shocking than the rate of the slaughter was the international community’s response (or lack thereof). 50 years after the Holocaust the world stood by again and did nothing while innocent people were being exterminated.
The United Nations, forged out of the ashes of Auschwitz, was established to ensure that never again would the world allow such a tragedy to take place. But as Rwanda demonstrates they have failed dismally. It is worth noting in detail how the United Nations handled this crisis.
There was a UN ‘peace keeping’ mission in Rwanda months before the carnage began. UNAMIR’s (the United Nations ‘Assistance’ Mission For Rwanda) Force Commander Lieutenant-General Dallaire became aware of plans for the genocide in January of 1994. He sent a cable to UN headquarters in New York asking for permission to confiscate weapons. Throughout January, February and March, he pleaded for reinforcements and logistical support. The UN Security Council refused. Dallaire was directly "taken to task," in his words, for even suggesting that UNAMIR should raid Hutu militants' weapons caches, whose location had been disclosed to him by a reliable government source. Many UN officials, including Boutros Ghali and Kofi Annan were involved in watering down the response of the UN. Only Belgium protested for a strong UNAMIR mandate at the UN. But after the murder of ten Belgian peacekeepers in early April, they turned tail and pulled out of the peacekeeping mission altogether. In the midst of the crisis, Dallaire was instructed to have UNAMIR focus only on evacuating foreign nationals from Rwanda. Following these strict instructions to the letter, UN soldiers abandoned a school filled with 2,000 Tutsi refugees, while Hutu militants waited outside, drinking beer and chanting "Hutu Power." After the UN left, the militants entered the school and massacred those inside, including hundreds of children. Four days later the Security Council voted to reduce the UNAMIR down to 260 men. Rwanda at the time pf the genocide had a seat on the Security Council. It used this position of power to argue that the claims of genocide were exaggerated and that the government was doing all that it could to stop it. Moreover, representatives of the Rwandan Catholic Church, long associated with the radical Hutus in Rwanda, also used their links in Europe to reduce criticism. France, which felt the United States and United Kingdom would use the massacres to try to expand their influence in that francophone part of Africa, also worked to prevent international intervention. |
The massacre was only brought to a halt by the invasion of a Tutsi rebel force stationed in neighboring African countries.
For me the central lesson of the Rwandan genocide, like the Holocaust before it, is that we cannot rely on multilateral institutions like the UN to prevent persecution. All nations need strong sovereign states that will embark on military action if necessary to protect the safety of their people no matter where on the planet they may live. As the famous Jewish sage Hilel asked ‘if I am not for myself, then who is for me’? Certainly not the UN.
Steve Adds:
Many Rwandan survivors see a close link between their tragedy and the Holocaust and this led Yolande Mukagasana, head of “Nyamirambo”—a Tutsi NGO based in Belgium and Rwanda—to contact Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust museum.
In November last year Israel held a seminar at Yad Vashem for Rwandans about Holocaust remembrance and educational activities related to it that can serve as a model for similar efforts on the part of the Tutsis.
A particularly moving meeting took place between the participants—survivors of the Rwandan genocide—and Holocaust survivors. On this occasion, the latter came more to listen than to talk; in turn, their attentiveness encouraged the Tutsis to tell their personal stories, in some cases for the first time. “The meeting with Holocaust survivors helped me more than anything to cope with the trauma I experienced,” says Yolande Mukagasana. “Other people, even psychologists, know how to pity. These meetings helped me understand what I really feel. Holocaust survivor Dr. Ehud Loeb participated in the encounter: “I sat across from a beautiful young woman, who spoke quietly and calmly,” he recalls. “‘I lost my husband and all of my children,’ she told me. I looked at her and suddenly saw myself—it left an indelible impression on me.” |
The rebuilding situation in Rwanda is more complex than it was for the Jews of Europe in that both the murderers and the victims belong to the same nation and are both responsible for rebuilding Rwanda. In some ways it was less painful for the Jews to rebuild their lives because most had relocated far from the killing fields.
To Steve and Mike.
What a superb post.
The Rwanda tragedy and the lessons therefrom are not published in sufficient detail in our country, our continent and the world.
To be honest, I was quite naive to the enormity until Hotel Rwanda raised my level of curiosity and I began to research the events. I saw the movie shortly after returning from Auschwitz.
It is inconceivable that the rate of murder of Tutsi citizens far surpasses that of the Jews by the Nazis even during the most advances stages of Aktion Reynhardt. The 3 camps built specifically for killing by engineers and run by blood-thirsty murderers - sobibor, treblinka and majdanek did not take lives as quickly as the hatcheted armed militias of the Rwandan landscape. I find that quite sick - infact, the whole topic is sick.
Where were the UN, the world, where were we? We are so quick to question why Auschwitz was not bombed...
Posted by: gersh | April 11, 2006 at 10:47
For those who continually push for a 'one state solution'for Israel and 'Palestine' , Rwanda provides a warning as to what happens when two hostile peoples are forced to inhabit the same country
If the 'one state solution' is hoisted on Israel, chas v' sholem , then the Jews of Israel will be massacred wholesale the same way the Tutsi where in Rwanda.
Will you happy then Allister Sparks , Steven Friedman? Virginia Tilley? John Stremlau?
Posted by: Gary | April 11, 2006 at 11:25
Thats brilliant Gersh.
WHERE WERE WE.
We South Africans were making a change from our own system of repression which most of us tolerated, into a new democracy, which most of us tend to complain about. (Unfair on us, but what of our parents generation?)
But we were busy with that.
So where was everyone else?
Where were YOU in 1994?
Posted by: Steve | April 11, 2006 at 11:28
It is heartbreaking to recall such unnoticed brutality, to contemplate how 800 000 innocent civilians were killed within 100 days. Ethnic tension resulting in genocide is not easy to put aside, especially considering the world chose to turn a blind eye. Unforgivable.
Take the Holocaust as a prime example, the emotional impact, the images, the Diaspora... it all remains strong. Perhaps a key idea, something you learn as a Jew, is to vow to 'never forget.'
Posted by: Chi | April 11, 2006 at 11:33
Keep on blogging
Posted by: Chi | April 11, 2006 at 11:34
Ahh...a post that touches my heart.
Im thinking of selling T shirts made that say
"I was disrupting the Israeli security barrier whilst thousands of Black Muslims in Darfur were being raped, murdered, and forcibly removed from their homes - 2004-2009"
Posted by: Anti-UN | April 11, 2006 at 11:36
Very sharp anti-un. Put me down for some shirts. perhaps we can distribute them in parliament?
Posted by: gersh | April 11, 2006 at 12:34
I recommend this book: A Problem from Hell - Samantha Power
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007172990/
The world knew what was happening, they did little or nothing to prevent the genocide from happening.
We must give Raphel Lemtikin
Posted by: Vaz Lube | April 11, 2006 at 12:35
Eish, I pressed POST instead of PREVIEW. Grrr!
I recommend this book: A Problem from Hell - Samantha Power
http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0007172990/
The world knew what was happening, they did little or nothing to prevent the genocide from happening.
Posted by: Vaz Lube | April 11, 2006 at 12:38
By the way Steve you wrote "We South Africans were making a change from our own system of repression which most of us tolerated, into a new democracy"
A country where the ruling party polls around 70% of the vote , and gets more of the vote EACH ELECTION , without fail nogal, can hardly be called a complete democracy.
SA is a de facto one party state.
Now look at the elections in Italy where less than 1% seperates the two main contendors, and a similar result in Hungary.
That is democracy!
Posted by: Gary | April 11, 2006 at 19:32
Gary, there is no perfect democracy. A democracy is not measured by the fact that the ANC gets 70%. Its measured by the fact that the people have the power to change their 70%. That everyone still votes for them doesnt change the fact that people still have a free choice to vote for another party.
Compared to the tyranical previous regime, we are now a democracy.
Posted by: Steve | April 12, 2006 at 09:10
On the other hand, here's an excellent post at Commentary about the ANC's inherent opposition to the will of the people if that will is supportive of the opposition.
L’Affaire Mgoqi
Posted by: Steve | April 12, 2006 at 14:17
And then of course there is that disgusting floor crossing legislation which allows dozens shameless political whores to cross from opposition parties to the ANC every two years , thus disenfranchising thousands of voters.
Posted by: Gary | April 15, 2006 at 19:48
"All nations need strong sovereign states that will embark on military action if necessary to protect the safety of their people no matter where on the planet they may live."
Great, except when that strong state goes and massacres its own people.
Tiananmen Square comes to mind.
Not that the UN did anything there either...
Posted by: James Clark | April 16, 2006 at 22:10
You make a good point James. I was only looking at conflict between to different ethnic/religious/tribal/national groups. The issue of a country abusing its own people is much more complex. I wish we had an international organization that would enforce basic standards of human rights everywhere. But alas we only have the UN. So dictators and tyrants are able to literally get away with murder.
Posted by: Mike | April 17, 2006 at 14:04