April is the beginning of Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month. In the spirit of remembrance, we would like to highlight a Canadian hero who dealt with the horrors of genocide first-hand, Lieutenant-General (LGen) Roméo Dallaire.
LGen Dallaire grew up in Montreal and joined the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) in 1964. He received his commission upon graduation from the Royal Military College in Kingston, Ontario. Dallaire took command of the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group in the 1990’s as a Brigadier General. In 1993, he took command of the United Nations Observer Mission in Uganda and Rwanda, and the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. The mission had weak support from the United Nations (UN), including only 2,600 troops arriving from the original 5,000 requested, and that final number would drop even lower to 500.
Despite warning the UN Headquarters of an upcoming genocide, Dallaire pleaded for more forceful actions against the increasing violence but was ignored. The Standard peacekeeping guidelines of using weapons only for self-defence were inept for the Rwandan Genocide. Approximately 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were murdered by Hutu extremists from 6 April – 16 July 1994. Through numerous and persistent requests by Dallaire, UN troops were eventually given authority to use force to prevent “crimes against humanity,” but this change proved too late to prevent the genocide.
LGen Dallaire suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) due to the horrors he witnessed during his mission in Rwanda. He struggled through suicidal thoughts and made several attempts. In spite of his struggles, he completed his military career holding several important posts throughout, and went on to write about his experiences in Rwanda in the award-winning Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda.
Since his retirement, LGen (Ret) Dallaire dedicates his time as an advisor to the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) on matters relating to war-affected children around the world. He also served as a Canadian Senator from 25 March 2005 to 17 June 2014. He has conducted numerous lectures on his struggles with PTSD at several universities, and continues to be an exemplary figure for current and future members of the CAF.
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2Lt/ Slt Raghav Sharma
