Purushoth Theivendirarajah
Canada’s role in the Rwandan Genocide
December 14, 2014 “I was on the ground, I was in command, I had been given the mission, and I took the decision.” (Roméo Dallaire, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda). During April 6, 1994 to mid-July 1994, Rwanda was in a civil war and a genocide was going on at the same time. It was between the two tribes, Tutsi and Hutu. This event started when the plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimna of Rwanda was shot down and everyone on that plane was killed. The UN did not send any reinforcements to help stop this war and genocide. This event was important in Canada’s history because Canada had played the leading role in these UN missions to Rwanda when most of the international community turned their backs on Rwanda. Canada still did their role in saving the lives of people under the …show more content…
According to Roméo Dallaire, he requested 5000 troops from the UN but was given 2600 and reduced to 500. Canada had sent as much troops and help as they can but was not able to stop the genocide due to the lack of troops. Canadian soldiers had a psychological impact that had a lasting impact. Many of the soldiers suffered from an emotional disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that is caused by exposure to trauma involving death and one of the symptoms is experiencing the event again as a flashback, nightmares, and thoughts that come from nowhere. This event demonstrated Canada’s endeavour for peace when Canada was the only country that still had troops in Rwanda during the genocide. The international community however abandoned this mission and ignored it completely. The other reason why Canada played a significant role in the UN missions to
Canada’s role in the Rwandan Genocide
December 14, 2014 “I was on the ground, I was in command, I had been given the mission, and I took the decision.” (Roméo Dallaire, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda). During April 6, 1994 to mid-July 1994, Rwanda was in a civil war and a genocide was going on at the same time. It was between the two tribes, Tutsi and Hutu. This event started when the plane carrying President Juvenal Habyarimna of Rwanda was shot down and everyone on that plane was killed. The UN did not send any reinforcements to help stop this war and genocide. This event was important in Canada’s history because Canada had played the leading role in these UN missions to Rwanda when most of the international community turned their backs on Rwanda. Canada still did their role in saving the lives of people under the …show more content…
According to Roméo Dallaire, he requested 5000 troops from the UN but was given 2600 and reduced to 500. Canada had sent as much troops and help as they can but was not able to stop the genocide due to the lack of troops. Canadian soldiers had a psychological impact that had a lasting impact. Many of the soldiers suffered from an emotional disorder called post-traumatic stress disorder. Post-traumatic stress disorder is a mental illness that is caused by exposure to trauma involving death and one of the symptoms is experiencing the event again as a flashback, nightmares, and thoughts that come from nowhere. This event demonstrated Canada’s endeavour for peace when Canada was the only country that still had troops in Rwanda during the genocide. The international community however abandoned this mission and ignored it completely. The other reason why Canada played a significant role in the UN missions to