On this day, 15 years ago President Habyarimana and Burundian President Cyprien Ntaryamira were killed when the Rwanda President's plane was shot down as it was about to land at Kigali airport. The Arusha peace accords were undermined by Hutu extremists who disagreed with their signing. Crisis was the name of the game as military leaders sought to restore order in the country. Where was the international community? 3 months earlier UN mission leader Lt. General Romeo Dallaire received information of an arms cache being held by Rwandan extremists. Dallaire sought permission from New York for him to take preventive measures. He was strongly urged not to violate his mandate. And so the world waited on a flimsy peace that buckled under the pressure of a power hungry and ethnically motivated Hutu power movement. And so began the 100 days, a nightmare like no other...
1 comment:
100 days, and within that time 20% of the Rwandan population was annihilated. I ask you tinacho, by looking at the causes of what occurred that April, was there enough time for 1st world leaders to act on the plight of a 3rd World country? And if so, How?
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