What could have been done to prevent the Genocide?
Other catastrophes the UN failed to prevent were the radio broadcasts, inadequate chapter VI mandate and the lack of care from the Security Council. Radio broadcasts could have been stopped by the UN which required no use of military force therefore not breaking the chapter VI mandate. These radio broadcasts provided the Hutu’s with the Tutsis names, addresses and licence plates. If the UN intervened to stop the broadcasts the number of civilian deaths would have decreased. The most contributing failure of the UN was leaving the mission a chapter VI mandate throughout the whole operation. It was imperative the UN changed the mission from a chapter VI mandate to allow force to be used. Negotiation, mediation and conciliation are mentioned in a chapter VI mandate, these means of resolution between the Hutus and Tutsis would not work. Fear and hatred fuelled the genocide therefore the means of negotiation was a waste of precious time. The Security Council was warned of the Genocide numerous times however discarded requests for more troops. “We could have packed up dead bodies, put them on a herc, flown to New York, walked in the Security Council and dumped them on the floor… and all that would happen was we would have been charged for illegally using a UN aircraft. They just didn’t want anything to do with it.” (Major Brent Beardsley, 2004).
It can be argued that the UN lacked funds and a sufficient number of troops which supports their abandonment in the mission. However after the UN withdrew most of the 5,500 peacekeepers on 21st April, General Romeo Dallaire lead Major Brent Beardsley and 450 un-equipped and poorly trained troops to save the lives of 25,000 people directly and offer 10,000 with humanitarian aid. The primary source information given in an interview of Major Brent Beardsley gives a reliable insight of the 450 remaining troop’s determination and inspiration from General Dallaire to stay and prove the UN wrong. Beardsley states throughout the mission Dallaire stated, “If 5,500 troops could have come in… you do the mathematics, we could have saved over half million people.” Beardsley continues to state his disappointment as if more troops were provided; they could have stopped it (Major Brent Beardsley, 2004).
"I'm pretty proud of what we did. General Dallaire-- I know he has a lot of grief still to this day over it. Two things. One, the 450 who remained on the ground saved the lives of 25,000 people directly, then indirectly through providing humanitarian aid, most likely tens of thousands more than that. General Dallaire stated quite frequently that if 5,500 troops could have come in, we could have arrested it. Well, if you do the mathematics, we could have saved over a half million people. If the troops had stayed on the ground, if they came in on the evacuation or more troops had come in, we could have stopped it."
Extract from frontline interview of Major Brent Beardsley who worked alongside General Dallarie saving as many lives as they could against UN orders.
Extract from frontline interview of Major Brent Beardsley who worked alongside General Dallarie saving as many lives as they could against UN orders.
Canadian General Romeo Dallaire, commander of UN peacekeeping force in Rwanda.