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.