Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the Episcopal principality of Utrecht by which it was held until 1528. The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Ensche…
The Last Just Man
First-person interviews and graphic footage punctuate Steven Silver's documentary about the shocking events surrounding the 1994 Rwandan massacres. UN Peacekeeping Mission Brigadier General Romeo Dallair was sent to Rwanda to keep the peace, but his call for help would ultimately go unheeded. As the violence continued to escalate, General Dallair realized he would have to face the struggle …
Why is Romeo Dallaire a hero?
Widely known for having served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994. Dallaire tried desperately to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis and Hutu moderates.
How did Roméo Dallaire change the world?
Dallaire served as force commander of UNAMIR, the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, and attempted to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against the Tutsi people and Hutu moderates.
How many lives did Romeo Dallaire save?
32,000 livesDallaire has been widely praised for ignoring the UN's orders to pull out and credited with saving some 32,000 lives. He was also lucky to have survived after a thirteen-year-old boy stuck the barrel of his AK-47 up Dallaire's nostril.
Who was the UN force commander in Rwanda?
Major General Roméo Dallaireheadquarters in New York by Major General Roméo Dallaire, U.N. force commander in Rwanda.
Who was the rebel general in Shake Hands with the Devil?
General Romeo Dallaire'sThe story of General Romeo Dallaire's frustrated efforts to stop the madness of the Rwandan Genocide, despite the complete indifference of his superiors.
What did the UN do in Rwanda?
Its most significant contribution was to provide refuge for thousands of Tutsi and moderate Hutu at its headquarters in Amahoro Stadium, as well as other secure UN sites.
What was Romeo Dallaire's role in the Rwanda mission?
Roméo Dallaire served with distinction in the Canadian Armed Forces. In 1994, he led the United Nations' peacekeeping mission in Rwanda and witnessed the genocide there. He was so affected by it that he became a global advocate for victims of war and conflict.Apr 3, 2008
Why did Canada help Rwanda?
Canada supported the creation of the Rwanda National University in the city of Butare. Post-genocide, Canada supported efforts to re-establish Rwanda's social institutions and infrastructure.Oct 18, 2021
Why did nobody stop the Rwandan genocide?
According to Barnett, UN inaction stemmed from its desire not to get involved in a potentially-risky operation for public relations that could damage the prospects for future peace-building operations since 18 UN troops had recently been killed in Somalia, despite the capacity of UN troops to save thousands of lives.
How many Tutsis died in the Rwandan genocide?
During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed militias. The most widely accepted scholarly estimates are around 500,000 to 662,000 Tutsi deaths.
What caused the Rwandan genocide?
The genocide was the culmination of decades of division and incitement of hatred towards the Tutsi by extremists in the country's leadership, which was controlled by members of the Hutu majority group.
What is the Dallaire Institute?
The Dallaire Institute for. Children, Peace, and Security. General Dallaire has committed the rest of his life to the prevention of the use of children as weapons of war. To this end, he founded the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security at Dalhousie University (formerly the Romeo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative);
Who is General Dallaire?
General Dallaire is the founder of a global initiative to eradicate the use of Child Soldiers, as well as a local foundation in Quebec that supports underprivileged children. You can support the Dallaire Institute for Children, Peace, and Security at Dalhousie University here.
Where was Romeo Dallaire born?
Early Life. Romeo Dallaire was born in Denekamp, Netherlands in 1946 . He later immigrated to Canada when he was six month-old and settled down with his mother in Montreal, where he spent his childhood.
What was the role of the UNAMIR?
Widely known for having served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994. Dallaire tried desperately to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against Tutsis and Hutu moderates.
How many men were in UNAMIR II?
It included a strength of 5,500 men which would be sent by the UN.
When did the Rwandan genocide happen?
Genocide. On April 6, 1994 , the Rwandan president’s plane was shot down. This set in motion the vicious genocide as extremists within the Hutu population began assassinating moderate government officials and ultimately claiming the lives of more than 800,000 Rwandan Tutsis and moderate Hutus within 100 days.
Overview
Roméo Antonius Dallaire, OC, CMM, GOQ, MSC, CD (born June 25, 1946) is a Canadian humanitarian, author, retired senator and Canadian Forces lieutenant-general. Dallaire served as force commander of UNAMIR, the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force for Rwanda between 1993 and 1994, and attempted to stop the genocide that was being waged by Hutu extremists against the Tutsi people and Hutu moderates.
Early life and education
Dallaire was born in 1946 in Denekamp, Netherlands, to staff-sergeant Roméo Louis Dallaire, a non-commissioned officer in the Canadian Army, and Catherine Vermaessen, a Dutch nurse. After his father had been reassigned to Canada, his mother and Dallaire immigrated to Canada when the boy was six months old, traveling on the Empire Brent. They landed in Halifax on December 13, 1946. The family lived in Montreal during Dallaire's childhood.
Rwanda
In late 1993, Dallaire received his commission as the major-general of UNAMIR, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. UNAMIR's goal was to assist in the implementation of the Arusha Accords, a peace agreement intended to end the Rwandan Civil War. The UN attempted to negotiate with the Hutus in the Rwandan army and with Juvénal Habyarimana, a Hutu who was president at the time, and with the Tutsis, as represented by the rebel commander Paul Kagame, …
Books
Dallaire has written three books. Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, written with Major Brent Beardsley and published in 2003, chronicles his tour as force commander of UNAMIR in 1993–1994, during which he witnessed the Rwandan Genocide. It won the 2003 Shaughnessy Cohen Award for Political Writing, and the 2004 Governor General's Award for nonfiction. It was subsequently adapted for two films, a documentary and a feature film.
Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative
Dallaire founded the Roméo Dallaire Child Soldiers Initiative. The Initiative was one of the sponsors, with Dalhousie University, of a conference at the University on human rights and child soldiers.
Documentary and film
In October 2002, the documentary The Last Just Man was released, which chronicles the Rwandan genocide and features interviews with Dallaire, Brent Beardsley, and others involved in the events that happened in Rwanda. It was directed by Steven Silver.
A character loosely based on Dallaire was portrayed by Nick Nolte in Hotel Rwanda (2004). He was portrayed by Guy Thauvette in a small role in the 2006 film A Sunday in Kigali.
Awards and recognition
In 1996, Dallaire was made an officer of the Legion of Merit of the United States for his service in Rwanda. Dallaire was also awarded the inaugural Aegis Trust Award in 2002, and on October 10 of the same year, he was inducted as an Officer in the Order of Canada. Dallaire was named a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2005. He was granted the inaugural Aegis Award for Genocide Prevention from the Aegis Trust(United Kingdom). On March 9, 2005, Dallaire was awar…
See also
• Role of the international community in the Rwandan genocide
Early Years and Career
- Roméo Dallaire grew up in the east end of Montreal. He enrolled in Army Cadets in 1960 and joined the Armed Forces in 1964. He attended Collège Militaire Royal (CMR), Saint Jean, and graduated from the Royal Military College (RMC), Kingston, with a Bachelor of Science. He began his military career during the Cold War. He was deployed during the October Crisisin 1970.
Career as Officer and General
- A full colonel by 1986, Dallaire was appointed the director of the army's equipment and research program overseeing the forces' funding and requisition systems. The resulting white paper's proposals were deemed unaffordable and were rejected by the government in 1987. This would foreshadow Dallaire's experiences in Rwanda. In the early 1990s, as a brigadier-general, Dallaire …
Rwanda Mission
- In 1993, the United Nations was considering a mission to Rwanda, a small but populous African nation in the process of negotiating an end to a civil war between the government and the rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The rebels were positioned behind a demilitarized zone monitored by neutral military observers from the Organization of African Unity (OAU). The president of Uga…
After Rwanda
- Roméo Dallaire was traumatized by the horrors in Rwanda; particularly by the plight of children and by the apparent futility of his assignment. Upon his return to Canada, he suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and insomnia. He struggled through suicidalthoughts and several attempts, withdrew from family and friends and drank heavily. Des…
Books
- Dallaire reported his Rwandan experiences in Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda (2003). It was awarded the 2003 Shaughnessy Cohen Prize for Political Writing by the Writers’ Trust of Canada and the 2004 Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction, in addition to numerous international prizes. It was the basis of Peter Raymont’s feature …
Honours
- Roméo Dallaire has been highly decorated. His awards the Meritorious Service Cross; the Vimy Award; the United States Legion of Merit; the Pearson Peace Medal; and numerous honorary degrees. He was made an Officer of the Order of Military Merit in 1987 and a Commander in 1996. He was also made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002. In 2005, he was appointed to the S…