Ethnopolitical Conflict in Rwanda
Ethno-Political Conflicts: The Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the systematic murder of members of Rwanda 's Tutsi ethnic minority and moderate Hutu sympathizers in 1994. The diplomatic efforts to end the conflict were initially seen as successful but the rising tensions among the population made it difficult to come to a conflict ending agreement. Over the course of about 100 days, from April 6 to mid-July, 1994 at least 500,000 Tutsis, and thousands of Hutus, were the victims of this atrocity. [1] To the extent that governments and nations elsewhere failed to prevent and halt the Rwandan killing campaign, they all share in the shame of the crime. The United Nations staff as well as the three foreign governments principally involved in Rwanda bear added responsibility: the U.N. staff for having failed to provide adequate information and guidance to members of the Security Council; Belgium, for having withdrawn its troops precipitately and for having championed total withdrawal of the U.N. force; the U.S. for having put saving money ahead of saving lives and for slowing the sending of a relief force; and France, for having continued its support of a government engaged in genocide.[2] The United Nations neglect of the Rwandan Genocide, under comprehensive media coverage, drew severe criticism. France, Belgium, and the United States in particular, received negative attention for their complacency towards the extreme Hutu regime 's oppressions. Canada, Ghana, and the Netherlands, did continue to provide a force on the ground, under the command of Roméo Dallaire of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), but this mission had little actual power without support from the UN Security Council.[3] Dallaire had 450 ill-equipped troops from developing countries and consistent abandonment. Despite specific demands from UNAMIR 's commanders in Rwanda, before and throughout the genocide, its requests for authorization to
The Rwandan Genocide was the systematic murder of members of Rwanda 's Tutsi ethnic minority and moderate Hutu sympathizers in 1994. The diplomatic efforts to end the conflict were initially seen as successful but the rising tensions among the population made it difficult to come to a conflict ending agreement. Over the course of about 100 days, from April 6 to mid-July, 1994 at least 500,000 Tutsis, and thousands of Hutus, were the victims of this atrocity. [1] To the extent that governments and nations elsewhere failed to prevent and halt the Rwandan killing campaign, they all share in the shame of the crime. The United Nations staff as well as the three foreign governments principally involved in Rwanda bear added responsibility: the U.N. staff for having failed to provide adequate information and guidance to members of the Security Council; Belgium, for having withdrawn its troops precipitately and for having championed total withdrawal of the U.N. force; the U.S. for having put saving money ahead of saving lives and for slowing the sending of a relief force; and France, for having continued its support of a government engaged in genocide.[2] The United Nations neglect of the Rwandan Genocide, under comprehensive media coverage, drew severe criticism. France, Belgium, and the United States in particular, received negative attention for their complacency towards the extreme Hutu regime 's oppressions. Canada, Ghana, and the Netherlands, did continue to provide a force on the ground, under the command of Roméo Dallaire of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR), but this mission had little actual power without support from the UN Security Council.[3] Dallaire had 450 ill-equipped troops from developing countries and consistent abandonment. Despite specific demands from UNAMIR 's commanders in Rwanda, before and throughout the genocide, its requests for authorization to
Bibliography: Barker, Greg. Ghosts of Rwanda: [Video-recording (DVD)]. Hollywood, CA: PBS Video, 2004. Dallaire, Romeo. Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda. New York: Carroll & Graf Publishers, 2004. Des Forges, Alison. Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda. Rwanda: Human Rights Watch, 1999. Gurr, Barbara & Harff, Ted Robert. Ethnic Conflict in World Politics. Cambridge, MA. Westview Press Books, 2004. Kellas, James, G. The Politics of Nationalism and Ethnicity. United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan, 1995. Koko, Jacques. Power Point Presentation. General Approaches to dealing with International conflict. November 6th, 2008 Moghalu, Kingsley [1] Des Forges, Allison. Leave None to Tell the Story: Genocide in Rwanda. Rwanda: Human Rights Watch, 1999, 14. [6] DaLaet, Debra L. The Global Struggle for Human Rights: The Universal Principle in World Politics. California: Thomas & Wadsworth, 2006, 97. [7] Barker, Greg. Ghosts of Rwanda: [Video-recording (DVD)]. Hollywood, CA: PBS Video, 2004.