Title: Rwandan Genocide - Why didn't anyone intervene?
Headings: Why didn’t anyone intervene during the Rwandan genocide in 1994?
Why didn’t anyone intervene during the Rwandan genocide in 1994?
Contents hide
Did the US Intervene in the Rwandan Genocide?
UNAMIR – The UN mission in Rwanda
RTLM Radio and it’s role in the Rwandan Genocide
Why did other African Countries not Intervene in the Rwandan Genocide?
Conclusions on why the US, UN and other African Nations did not prevent the Rwandan Genocide

Content: Surely it’s either a genocide, or it is not? UNAMIR – The UN mission in Rwanda
The United Nations did have a small presence in Rwanda at the time of the genocide, the problem was that they did not send enough troops, and they were not given the power to shoot. Belgian troops were among the first to be victims of the Hutu Militia, and the murder of 10 Belgian soldiers promoted many countries to get their own citizens out. Romeo Dallaire (head of UNAMIR – The UN mission in Rwanda) therefore did not have enough troops to stop the genocide, and most of his mission was spent trying to keep information about where Tutsi’s were from the Hutu Militia. He suffers with PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) and was condemned to a lifetime of medication as a result of the failure of the mission. RTLM Radio and it’s role in the Rwandan Genocide
The international community could have prevented the rapid spread of the Rwandan genocide by intercepting the hate radio RTLM, which spread the message of ‘chopping the tall trees’ (machete the Tutsis). However, the right to ‘freedom of speech’ prevented them from doing so. Why did other African Countries not Intervene in the Rwandan Genocide? Many surrounding African countries were either fighting their own civil war, or lacked the resources or knowledge needed to intervene. Conclusions on why the US, UN and other African Nations did not prevent the Rwandan Genocide
There was an independent enquiry in 1999 as to why the international community did not step in and prevent the genocide.