Humanitarian Intervention and the Rwanda Genocide

Humanitarian Intervention

andthe Rwanda Genocide

Jihoon, MOONSzu-Chieh, CHENInternational Relation 2013, 06, 19

Outline

What is “Humanitarian intervention” ?

Historical background of the Rwanda

The trigger of the Rwanda genocide

Major events

The responses from international

Operation Turquoise

Society criticism

Conclusion

Humanitarian Intervention

An armed intervention in a state, without

that state’s consent, to address (the threat

of) a humanitarian disaster, in particular

caused by grave and large-scale violations

of fundamental human rights.

By the early 1990s, Rwanda, a small country with an overwhelmingly agricultural economy, had one of the highest population densities in Africa.

Population :

Hutu (84%)

Tutsi (15%)

Twa (1%)

Historical background of the Rwanda

Historical background of the Rwanda

1894 : Rwanda becomes part of German east

1916 : Belgian occupation

1959 : a hutu revolution

1961 : victorious hutu had forced Rwanda’s tutsi monarch into exile and declared the country a republic

1962 : Belgium officially granted independence to Rwanda

1973 : a military group installed major general juvenal habyarimana, a moderate hutu, in power. Founded a new political party, the national revolutionary movement for development (NRMD).

Historical background of the Rwanda

1978 : juvenal habyarimana was elected president

1990 : forces of the Rwandan patriotic front (RPF), consisting mostly of tutsi refugees, invaded Rwanda from Uganda

1993 : habyarimana signed an agreement at Arusha, Tanzania

The trigger of Rwanda genocide

On April 6 1996 , The plane carrying Rwanda’s president was shot down.

Hutu extremists had taken over the government

Blamed the tutsis for the assassination

Genocide began

The Genocide

The hutu extremist radio – RTLM, and also the

state supported radio – Radio Rwanda,

encouraged the mass murder of the

“cockroaches.” These cockroaches weretutsis

and hutu moderates

The Genocide

Most victim were killed in their own villages and towns by neighbors usually by being hacked to death by machetes. 　

Rape was also used as a weapon during the Genocide, up to 500,000 tutsi women were raped.

The Genocide

An estimated 10,000 people were murdered each day

An estimated 800,000 people were murdered in the course of roughly 100days, most of whom were tutsis.

400,000 children were left orphans

。

The responses to the Genocide

The Security Council: should we help? Maybe?

Denial of the word “Genocide”

On 6 May, New Zealand proposed a draft resolution to create a new UN force to protect civilians in Rwanda. Rejected by USA

Authorizing UNAMIR 5500 troops with a mandate to provide humanitarian assistance. USA narrows down the number to hundreds

The responses to the Genocide

African States: No one helps! We have to do something

9 countries came forward with offers of troops for the deployment of UNAMIRⅡ.

Lack of equipment, heavy lift support, and costs

The result – the equipment didn’t arrive until the end of June and it then took a further month for the vehicles to arrive. More Rwandans are dead…

The responses to the Genocide

USA: we cannot help with it

Avoiding a repeat of Somalia, 1993

No vital interests in Rwanda

Military personnel could not be sent to trouble spot

The responses to the Genocide

FRANCE: we want to help!!!

Has political and military involvement in Rwanda

Supporting the one-party state of Habyarimana (Hutu)

Maintaining its international prestige and bargaining power by controlling French-speaking Africa

Operation Turquoise

France’s Operation Turquoise

June 22nd : UN approve France a 60 days Humanitarian Mission to protect civilians/ save lives.

2500 French troops

“safe humanitarian zones” in southwest Rwanda

The killings end before OT was replaced by UNAMIR Ⅱ. RPF took control over most of Rwanda in mid-July.

Humanitarian Intervention…?

France’s Operation Turquoise

Since the Security Council had acted as a global bystander to genocide, no one felt able publicly criticize to a French mission that was justified in terms of saving lives.

However, the french government’s priority was not to save lives but to demonstrate to Africa and the world that France could still rapidly project military power.

Society criticism

The non-humanitarian motives behind the

French intervention led to means being

employed that conflicted with its humanitarian

purpose.

Conclusion

UNAMIR didn’t have a sufficient mandate; lack of resources; ill-equipped to stop the killings.

Stopping genocide requires a willingness to use force and to risk soldiers’ lives and it was this that was completely lacking in the Clinton Administration, USA.

Conclusion

France had national interests at stake, did not try to save Rwandan lives, but actively contributed to the genocide.

The media failed to report on the genocide, so there was no internal pressure from citizens that could have influenced policy makers.