Ghosts of Rwanda Notes
mrtsclassroomwebsite.yolasite.com
rtomasino@emsb.qc.ca
"How come as Commander, I did not convince...I lost soldiers, and 800 000 people died"- General
Romeo Dallaire (UN)
August 1993: first trip for Romeo Dallaire to Africa UN Peacekeeping Mission in the heart of Africa
UN mission: to ensure peace treaty between Rwandan government in Kigali (Hutus) and Tutsi rebels
(ethnic minority), known as the Rwandan Patriotic Front
7 min: Hutus ruled Rwanda since separating from Belgium in 1960's
However, according toa UN peace agreement, Hutus were forced to share power with Tutsis
8: mysterious riots and assassinations start occuring
mysterious third force of squadrons of killers (Hutu extremist group emerges)
January 1994: informant from Hutu extremists said they were going to try and get rid of Tutsis, and all
moderate Hutu leaders (Hutus who did not mind sharing power with Tutsis)
Part of the plan was to kill Belgian soldiers, who were the backbone of the peacekeeping mission
because they were one of the strongest European forces in Rwanda at the time.
The belief was that if they killed the Belgian soldiers, both Belgium and UN would leave.
11:30 Dallaire reports this information back to Kofi Anna (UN) and Dallaire is told not to react
immediately as they did not know if informant was a credible source.
Annan tells Dallaire to do 2 things:
1st no action///2nd- share info with hutu government
The hope is that if UN tells Hutu government, those planning the attack will know that others have an
idea about their mission, and that will make them not go through with it.
National self-interest: 3 months prior in Somalia- 18 US troops were killed---reluctance on US' part to
intervene
14-15 minutes- storm brewing-- political assassinations...Everything seems fine on the surface but
tensions are emerging throughout Rwanda "you got the feeling something was going to happen"
16:33 April 6th, 1994-- Laura Lane talking about having friends for supper and hearing a huge explosion
At 8:30, first phone call comes in- "big explosion at end of airfield"
Explosion ends up being Presidential Plane shot down with a missile-- to this day, still don't know who
shot it...could be Hutus, Tutsis, Hutu extremists...each could have had a reason for doing it
18 minutes At 10pm, UN Commanders summoned to crisis meeting
Pagasora (Hutu extremist) who was leading the meeting was told to step down and hand down power to
Madame Galath as it was believed she could withstand the rebels.
20 minutes
April 7th 2:00 am--Dallaire ordered not to intervene///Annan: US did not have the power to
intervene...did not want a repeat of Somalia
7AM- Dallaire goes to find extremist leaders- 25 troops sent to protect Madama Galath
road blocks start to form---nobody at ministry of defence
23 min-Prime Minister Galath called US Diplomat Joyce Leader (her neighbor) and asked if she could
come and hide in her house...as soon as Guinean Trooper showed his head over the fence, shots were
fired
10 Belgian troops held hostage and taken away
Prime Minister Galath is found and killed
Dallaire sees Belgian soldiers in the army base lying on the ground///Dallaire has no forces- cannot take
them on//has to negotiate--lack of resources leave him with no choice
27 min- Dallaire makes clear: "I'm staying"...is told Belgian troops are at the morgue "pile of potato
bags"
29 minutes APRIL 8TH- Clinton orders immediate evacuation of all 257 americans in Rwanda
couldn't risk their lives trying to wait this out
31 "if we just saved one life, maybe it was a life worth saving...it was worth that risk"- Laura Lan
Aid workers and diplomats ordered out of the country
32: 150 Tutsis hiding in church attacked with machetes and majority killed
Men, women children killed only because they were Tutsi
33:48- Northern Rwanda/// Tutsi rebels (RPF) group forms in order to battle Hutu extremists
34 min= rebels declare peace dead and attack extremist government
April 9th- 1000 French and Belgian troops arrive with the goal to find and return primarily white people
Refugees see this, realize these soldiers are not there to help thm and decide to start pleading with
journalists and video cameras// journalist states "all we could do is listen"
Hell starts for people as Western troops and peacekeepers begin to leave (COMPOUNDING THE
CHALLENGES) At the worst time in Rwandan history, everyone begins to evacuate.
Self-interest: save only white people; not Rwandans
40:30--Laura Lane from US Embassy--"we hid whoever we could...we'd make them Honorary Americans
for the day" in order to save lives.
41:35 Carl Wilkens: "It wasn't fair. Why was it that because I had a blue passport, it meant I could
leave... I stayed because it was the right thing to do"-- last American to remain in Rwanda
42:20 20 Belgian soldiers dead//Belgian wants to leave but did not want to leave alone
44min- Madeleine Albright (US rep at UN) was told to vote for withdrawal
Ibraham Gambani(member of UN)--tells UN to forget about cutting and running--"the UN's goal
is to protect anyone anywhere, including Africa"- we need to act...that is the goal of the UN!
45-- phone argument is about how to withdraw ...sending troops wasn't even an idea
46- Dallaire is told by UN that mission will be coming to an end//peace-keeping mission will be
terminated
General Anyidohu (UN General stationed in Rwanda)"No...we do not think mission should be closed, we
are staying"
47:40-- "It is morally corrupt to abandon people"
48 minutes: Hutus decide to start spread the killing across the entire nation...
Use radio propaganda: "Tutsis used to abuse Hutus...All Tutsis will perish"
49:15 People change...start seeing houses and villages set on fire
April 15th- Tutsis go to hide in a church thinking it was safe...Hutu extremists go to Church and start
shooting
Hutus felt "like they were taken over by the devil"-- shows how you get caught up in what is going on
around you...they were killing, without realizing exactly what impact they were having on Rwanda's
landscape.
52:30 At night, the dogs would come and eat the bodies
RED CROSS- never left Rwanda; whereas UN and other governments fled Rwanda when they needed
the most help
54- Tutsi survivors referred to as "those not yet finished off"
56-- "I don't know if I feel anything, anymore...I have a brain of iron"-- Philippe Gaillard-- he is
emotionally numb...he does not feel anything anymore because all he sees is death around him
6 people die as ambulance is stopped by Hutu extremists and Tutsi patients inside are murdered
Gaillard decides to make the act public despite the fear that people would kill him for speaking out
Gaillard decides to go ahead- BBC, Radio Francais...publicity embarrasses extremists//Government gives
Red Cross access throughout the region
In so doing, the Red Cross saved approximately 65000 citizens during the Genocide
1hr 2: Estimated that within the first 2 weeks, 100 000 Rwandans were killed
"The US has no friends, they have only interests--no incentive to send US troops"
UN decides to withdraw 90% of Peacekeepers...small force would remain (Albright's request)
1 hr 4 minutes: The world disappeared on them//UN didn't want to do anything
Gaillard expresses how General Dallaire was abandoned by his own organization(UN) whereas Red Cross
obtained whatever help/resources they required (doctors, nurses, supplies,etc) within a few days
April 25th Election Day in South Africa
4 weeks have passed: 300 000 killed
May 3rd
1hr 10: Clinton "learned in Somalia"--issue to send US troops never once came up SELF-INTEREST
Prudence Bushnell
because of Non-intervention by UN, can only threaten with words over the phone :"Stop it!"
1hr 13 General Paul Kagame- Commander of Patriotic Front (Tutsis) says: "madame, they are killing my
people!"
Kigali
1hr 15 Captain Mbaye from Senegal (UN) stayed back on his own...very charismatic, had the ability to
talk his way around the extremists and their checkpoints
carried out Secret Rescue Missions-- people would be hidden in backrooms of buildings one day and
gone the next...he was secretly getting them out of Rwanda
Areas like Hotel des Milles Collines become a safe haven (a place where refugees can hide and be
protected)
Reporters (BBC) don't want to know what is happening--they don't want to report secret rescue
missions because that would result in murders
1hr 18-- Dallaire's idea to secure football stadiums was rejected because he did not receive the minimal
support he requested (lack of resources)
1hr 19 "Send me troops...well what else do you want me to say? Send me troops!"- Dallaire
--self-interest Tutsi rebels/ Hutu government
1hr 21 Dallaire meets with Death Squad leaders, who still had drops of blood on their hands
1hr 22 Dallaire questions: "Do I negotiate with the Devil or do I shoot them all right there? I still haven't
answered that question."
1hr 24: Unarmed UN troops convince mercenaries not to enter buildings where people were
hiding//getting treatment-- very powerful and impressive to turn away armed mercenaries when you
yourself are defenseless
1hr 25: "Everybody knew what was happening; you could follow it everyday on TV, on radio...Who
moved? Nobody"- Gaillard
1hr26- After Holocaust, UN decided to ensure genocide never took place again.
"They cannot tell us they didn't know. They were told everyday...everybody knew"- Gaillard
Governments try to avoid using the word "genocide"
1hr 28: "The UN has no troops, we borrow them from governments"- Annan
80 countries were asked for troops- none agreed
1hr 29 Tony Marley Radio blocking signal of hate propaganda--was not allowed as it went against
freedom of speech
1hr 30 troops could arrive in 3 months..."bureaucracy at its very worst"
1hr31 self-interest///Carl wilkens saved more lives than entire U.S.// 50 militia guys surround orphanage
wilkens goes to local government headquarters to take to the prime minister to stop the shooting at the
orphanage// orphans saved
1hr34 COMPOUNDING THE CHALLENGES: who would believe Wilkens that he asked the Hutu Extremist's
leader to help him save Tutsi orphans?
Genocide is complicated (potentially collaborating with the enemy)
"In each one of us, there is such a potential for good and a potential for evil."- Wilkens
1 hr 35 Captain Mbaye killed crossing last checkpoint
saved at least 100, maybe 1000
1 hr 38- Nyarabuye- church where more than 5000 Tutsi had sought refuge
bodies/ bones stacked against walls
1hr 40 Fergal Keane BBC--speaks about experience visiting Rwanda "it changes you...I did not welcome
that change"
1hr43- June 10th "How many acts of genocide does it take?"
Christine Shelly- State Dept. Correspondent
1hr44 "How would we be viewed for admitting genocide happened and we did not act?"- Moose
July 1994, genocide ends after 100 days...only when Tutsi rebels won civil war...Hutu extremists killed
800 000 people as the world did nothing
1hr46- "By the time the genocide was over, I was so angry...at America. America the beautiful,
American the brave. I was angry with our government, mad at people who could have done the simplest
things, but didn't."- Wilkens
1hr47- Anthony Lake- National Security advisor to Clinton- only after visiting Rwanda and seeing what
had happened did people think they should have and could have done more
1hr48 "What tragedy, it must never be repeated"- Kofi Annan///written in Rwanda
1hr49- "people in offices did not fully understand..."Clinton admits US made mistakes, but never
apologized
1hr50- "We could have saved half of them...and I regret that"- Clinton
1hr51- Dallaire speaks of alcoholism and suicidal tendencies as a result of his mission "failing" and
hundreds of thousands of people dying
"I find no solace in statements like "I tried my best... A commander succeeds or he fails...I failed. "Dallaire
1hr53- Gaillard- after seeing this, I wanted to procreate...to make life.