Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda

by Roméo Dallaire

  HAC Humanitarian Assistance Cell

  Per O. Hallqvist Chief Administration Officer until resignation 14 Feb 94

  Colonel Mike Hanrahan CO of 1st Canadian Headquarters and Signals Regiment (1 CDHSR)

  Peter Hansen UN Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs. First senior UN official to visit Rwanda after the start of the genocide

  Colonel Azrul Haque UNOMUR second-in-command, the Deputy Chief Military Observer, a Bangladeshi. As Dallaire was the Chief Military Observer of UNOMUR, in addition to being the Force Commander of UNAMIR, and living in Kigali, the DCMO of UNOMUR was, in effect, the Commander of the Sector. Replaced Colonel Ben Matiwaza in Feb 94

  Hard-liner Slang for extremist

  Head of Mission The individual designated by the SG of the UN to be in overall command of all divisions within the UN mission. Usually the SRSG, however for periods during UNAMIR, the FC was designated Head of Mission as well

  Arturo Hein UNREO Coordinator

  HPZ Humanitarian Protection Zone

  Humanitarian Assistance Cell (HAC) Formed 13 Apr 94 to work in close support of UNREO, aided in security of humanitarian aid and other issues

  Humanitarian Protection Zone (HPZ) Area of Rwanda secured by Op Turquoise, also known as Sector 4

  Hutu Majority ethnic group in Rwanda, comprising approximately 85 percent of the population

  Hutu Power Extremist movement dedicated to the dominance of the Hutu in all aspects of Rwandan affairs, appeared in several political parties

  ICRC International Committee of the Red Cross

  ICTR International Criminal Tribunal Rwanda

  Impuzamugambi Kinyarwanda for “those who have a single aim,” CDR youth wing/militia, trained, armed and led by the Presidential Guard and other elements of the RGF closely linked to the Interahamwe, participated in the killings during the genocide

  Inkotanyi Kinyarwanda for “those who fight courageously.” Units of the RPF

  Interahamwe Kinyarwanda for “those who attack together.” Militant young men attached to the youth wing of the ruling MRND party, trained and indoctrinated in ethnic hatred against Tutsis. Dressed in cotton combat fatigues in the red, green and black of the then Rwandan flag, carried machetes or carved replicas of Kalashnikovs, often incited violence, largely responsible for the killings during the genocide

  Interim government Appointed 7 Apr 93 by Habyarimana, to be in power until the BBTG would take over. During the UNAMIR period led by Madame Agathe until her assassination. On 7 Apr 94, a Hutu extremist-dominated interim government led by Jean Kambanda seized power until defeated and driven out of Rwanda in Jul 94

  International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC)

  International Criminal Tribunal Rwanda (ICTR) UN-sponsored judicial body prosecuting war criminals in Arusha, Tanzania

  Inyenzi Kinyarwanda for “cockroach,” a term used by Hutu extremists to describe Tutsis

  Dr. Jacques Nom de guerre of an RPF political officer at the CND during the genocide

  James O.C. Jonah Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, from Sierra Leone, replaced by Marrack Goulding

  Jean-Pierre Informant who described the arms cache in Jan 94, was once a Commando and a Presidential Guard, the chief trainer of the Interahamwe

  Joint Military Commission A joint body made up of General Dallaire, the COs of the RGF, the COs of the Gendarmerie and the commander of the RPF designed to set the agenda and approve the proposals of a number of sub-committees planning the details of the disengagement, disarmament, demobilization, rehabilitation/release and reintegration processes for the security forces of both sides as called for in the Arusha Peace Agreement

  Kabale UNOMUR HQ, located in Ugandan border town of Kabale

  Dr. Abdul Hamid Kabia Acting Executive Director UNAMIR. Began mission as Political Officer with UNOMUR, later moved to Kigali; UN diplomat and political expert with considerable field and HQ experience, from Sierra Leone

  Kadafi Crossroads Critical intersection of several major roads in and out of Kigali in the northwest corner of the city

  Major General Paul Kagame Military Commander of the Rwandese Patriotic Army—the military wing of the RPF—Tutsi, media nickname “the Napoleon of Africa.” Inaugurated 5th President of Rwanda 22 Apr 00

  Robert Kajuga President of the Interahamwe, responsible for most of the killings during the genocide

  Jean Kambanda Hutu extremist in the MDR, became the figurehead interim prime minister of the genocidal government 7 Apr 94, convicted as a génocidaire at ICTR and sentenced to life in prison

  Major Frank Kamenzi RPF Liaison Officer to UNAMIR

  Mamadou Kane Political Adviser to Dr. Booh-Booh, the SRSG

  Kangura Extremist newspaper filled with ethnic and anti-UNAMIR propaganda

  Camp Kanombe RGF military camp at east end of Kigali International Airport

  Colonel Alexis Kanyarengwe Chairman of the RPF, Hutu

  Froduald Karamira Vice-President of the MDR

  Commander Karake Karenzi First RPF Liaison Officer to UNAMIR

  Judge Joseph Kavaruganda President of the Constitutional Court

  Grégoire Kayibanda Leader of Hutu-dominated Rwandan government following uprising and independence of 1961, deposed and killed in coup by Habyarimana in 1973, former president and prime minister of Rwanda

  Ambassador Colin Keating New Zealand Ambassador to the UN, President of the Security Council Apr 94

  Major Henry Kesteloot Kigali Sector Operations Officer, Belgian

  Shaharyar M. Khan Pakistani career diplomat, appointed SRSG by Boutros-Ghali June 94

  KIBAT Nickname for the Belgian Battalion located in Kigali

  Camp Kigali RGF camp in the centre of Kigali, housed headquarters, reconnaissance battalion, maintenance transport unit and military hospital/convalescent centre

  Kigali Hospital Civilian hospital located near Camp Kigali

  Kigali Sector HQ in Kigali, commanded by Colonel Marchal, who was also the Belgian Contingent Commander, located at a compound near the Meridien hotel, UNAMIR area of operations within the KWSA, consisted of Belgian Battalion (KIBAT), Bangladeshi Battalion (RUTBAT), MILOBs, and occasionally Tunisian Company

  Kigali Weapons Secure Area (KWSA) Agreement made whereby military units in Kigali would be required to store all weapons and ammunition, and weapons or armed troops could only be moved with UNAMIR’s permission and escort, signed 23 Dec 93, actual area radius of approximately 20 km from the centre of the city

  King Faisal hospital Brand new but unused hospital, used as a field hospital by UNAMIR, and to treat the local population. Taken over by MSF

  Kinihira Abandoned tea plantation in the heart of the DMZ; several articles of the Arusha Peace Agreement were signed here, often used as a neutral meeting place

  Kinyarwanda The official native language of Rwanda, spoken by Hutus, Tutsis and Twas

  Captain Apedo Kodjo Togolese MILOB who witnessed the initial attack on the ten Belgian and five Ghanaian UNAMIR soldiers on 7 April 94

  Bernard Kouchner Former French politician and founder of Médecins Sans Frontières, he made two trips to Rwanda during the genocide

  KWSA Kigali Weapons Secure Area

  Brigadier General Jean-Claude Lafourcade Commander of the French Opération Turquoise

  Captain Sarto LeBlanc Canadian reinforcement officer

  Major Phil Lancaster Canadian MILOB, replaced Major Brent Beardsley in May 94

  Lieutenant Colonel André Leroy Commanding Officer of the first Belgian Para-commando Battalion (KIBAT), Oct 93–Mar 94

  Light battalion A dismounted infantry unit of varying size

  Light infantry Dismounted infantry

  Lieutenant Thierry Lotin Belgian Para-commando platoon commander of mortar section guarding Prime Minister Agathe, killed 7 Apr 94

  Amadou Ly UNDP Resident Representative, Senior UN authority in Rwanda prior to UNAMIR, Senegalese

  Major Don MacNeil Canadian reinforcement Officer, employed in t
he Humanitarian Assistance Cell during the genocide and responsible for saving thousands of lives, known by call sign MamaPapa 1

  Major Peter Maggen Belgian Senior Duty Officer UNAMIR Force HQ Operations Centre who supervised and trained the Bangladeshi Duty Officers

  Bernard Mamiragaba National Committee of the Interahamwe leader

  Colonel Luc Marchal Belgian, Kigali Sector Commander and also the Belgian Contingent Commander in UNAMIR

  Ambassador Jean-Philippe Marlaud French Ambassador to Rwanda

  Major Miguel Martin DPKO UNAMIR desk officer in New York, Argentinian Army Officer on loan to UN, was also concurrently desk officer for several other missions, promoted lieutenant-colonel Jan 94

  Ben Matiwaza UNOMUR second-in-command, the Deputy Chief Military Observer, in effect the commander of the Sector since Dallaire was in Kigali. Sep 93-Feb 94, based in Kabale, a Zimbabwean Zulu

  Patrick Mazimhaka 1st Vice-Chairman of the RPF, Minister Designate of Youth and Sports of the BBTG, after RPF victory became a minister in the new government, was often the chief negotiator for the RPF, name often spelled Mazimpaka

  Captain Diagne Mbaye Senegalese MILOB who saved the lives of Prime Minister Agathe’s children and was later killed by mortar fire in Kigali

  Major John McComber Canadian reinforcement officer who worked with FC as chief logistician

  MDR Mouvement démocratique républicain (Democratic Republican Movement) now known as Rwanda Democratic Movement, the main opposition party to the Habyarimana regime (MRND), party split contributed to political impasse, many members of the MDR joined the genocide, while others were victims

  Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) Independent humanitarian medical aid agency dedicated to providing medical aid wherever needed

  Merama Border crossing between Rwanda and Uganda, close to the Tanzanian border

  Militia Political parties in Rwanda all had youth wings that were covers for a party-loyal security force to protect party leaders and meetings

  Military Adviser Belgian and French military advisers to the Rwandan forces, advising the inner core of officers in the RGF

  MILOB Military Observer, unarmed military officers loaned by their respective nations to the UN, formed in multi-national teams and sent on tasks of monitoring, observing and reporting. Also known as United Nations Military Observers (UNMOs)

  MINURSO UN Mission in Western Sahara

  Moderates Prepared to bring refugees home, and share power in a multi-ethnic, multi-party government respectful of human rights

  Colonel Moen Chief Operations Officer of UNAMIR, Bangladeshi

  Moustache Codename of the Security Officer for the UNDP, French citizen

  Movement-control platoon Thirty troops trained to receive, load, unload and dispatch personnel and matériel from aircraft

  MRND Mouvement révolutionnaire national pour le développement, political party formed in 1975 by then President Habyarimana, former ruling party in Rwanda under Habyarimana, party changed name to Mouvement républicain pour la démocratie et le développement (National Revolutionary Movement for Democracy and Development) in 1993, Hutu extremist party

  Justin Mugenzi Parti libéral president, hard-liner, currently under indictment at the ICTR

  Mulindi A former tea plantation 60 km north of Kigali and used as the HQ of the RPF in Rwanda

  Faustin Munyazesa Minister of Interior, MRND extremist

  Vice-Admiral Larry Murray Canadian Deputy Chief of the Defence Staff responsible for all Canadian Forces members serving in operational theatres

  Yoweri Museveni President of Uganda, head of the New Resistance Army, sponsor and supporter of the RPF

  President Ali Hassan Mwinyi President of Tanzania and facilitator of the Arusha Peace Agreement negotiations

  NATO North Atlantic Treaty Organization

  NCO Non-Commissioned Officer

  Landoald Ndasingwa Tutsi head of the moderate Parti libéral, known as Lando, Minister of Labour and Social Affairs in the interim government and the BBTG. Married to Hélène Pinsky, Canadian, owners of Chez Lando hotel, bar and restaurant, he and family killed 7 Apr 94

  Captain Babacar Faye Ndiaye FC’s Aide-de-camp, Senegalese

  Colonel (later Major General) Augustin Ndindiliyimana Chief of Staff of the Gendarmerie, reported to the minister of defence for operational taskings, support and logistics but to the minister of the interior for day-to-day police work around the country, became Major General at the beginning of Mar 94. Hutu, member of the MRND, confidant and supporter of Habyarimana, currently under indictment at the ICTR

  Mathieu Ngirumpatse Hutu extremist and President of the MRND party

  Ephrem Nkezabera Interahamwe leader, special councillor

  NMOG OAU Neutral Military Observer Group composed of a few dozen military observers and a light company of Tunisian infantry, located mainly in DMZ, absorbed by UNAMIR 1 Nov 93

  Non-Commissioned Officer (NCO) Junior leader between soldiers and their officers

  NRA (New Resistance Army) Ugandan Army

  Colonel (later Major General) Déogratias Nsabimana RGF (Army) Chief of Staff, strong supporter of President Habyarimana, killed along with President in plane crash night of 6–7 Apr 94

  André Ntagerura Hutu extremist and acknowledged dean of the MRND

  Cyprien Ntaryamira President of Burundi, killed in plane crash along with President Habyarimana the night of 6–7 Apr 94

  Colonel Ntwiragaba Head of military intelligence for the RGF

  Joseph Nzirorera Secretary-General of the MRND

  OAU The Organization of African Unity

  Opération Amaryllis The French expatriate evacuation operation conducted in April 94

  Operation Clean Corridor Operation to prepare a secure route for an RPF battalion and politicians to travel into Kigali to a secure location in the city. Conducted 28 Dec 93, in accordance with the Arusha Peace Agreement

  Operation Lance Canadian Forces operation contribution to UNAMIR 2, 1994–1996

  Operation Passage Canadian Forces operation to provide assistance to Rwandan refugees in 1994

  Operation Silverback The Belgian expatriate evacuation expanded to include their contingent in UNAMIR conducted in April 94

  Opération Turquoise Controversial UN-sanctioned French operation for a Chapter 7 intervention into Rwanda Jun–Aug 94

  Operations Officer Staff Officer responsible for planning and controlling military forces conducting tasks assigned by the Commander

  Dr. James Orbinski Canadian surgeon who served as a doctor at the King Faisal Hospital in Kigali throughout the genocide and saved the lives of hundreds, perhaps thousands, of people

  The Organization of African Unity (OAU) Organization founded in 1963, based in Ethiopia, its primary aim is to promote unity and solidarity among African countries. Other aims and objectives include improving the general living standards in Africa, defending the territorial integrity and independence of African states, and promoting international co-operation. Membership of the OAU includes 53 of the 54 countries of Africa. The only African state that is not a member is the Kingdom of Morocco, which withdrew in 1985 following the admittance of the disputed state of Western Sahara as a member in 1984

  Papal Nuncio The Pope’s Ambassador to Rwanda, Monsignor Giuseppe Bertello, who also served as the Dean of the Kigali Diplomatic Corps

  Para Battalion French parachute battalion stationed in Kigali, left Dec 93 returned Apr 94 to evacuate non-African expatriates

  Para-Commando RGF parachute commando regiment

  Para-commando battalion Belgian parachute commando battalion

  Parti libéral (PL) Liberal Party, moderate political party headed by Lando Ndasingwa and Justin Mugenzi, popular among the business community and some Tutsi groups, split along ethnic lines in Sep 93

  Major Marek Pazik Polish Officer, worked with the HAC, callsign MamaPapa after his initials

  PDC Parti démocrate Chrétien (Christian Democratic Party),
moderate political party led by Jean-Népomucène Nayinzira

  PDI Islamic Democratic Party

  Macaire Pédanou UN Political Observer in Arusha

  Suzanne Pescheira Force Commander’s Secretary, Ecuadorian UNESCO employee originally based in Paris, on loan to UNAMIR

  Charles Petrie Deputy UN humanitarian coordinator in Rwanda and Burundi

  Major Jean-Guy Plante Canadian officer transferred from Somalia to Rwanda during the genocide and employed as media information officer

  Hélène Pinsky Canadian, married to Landoald Ndasingwa, killed 7 Apr 94

  PL Parti libéral (Liberal Party)

  Platoon Sub-unit of a company of up to 35 personnel commanded by a Lieutenant

  Colonel Poncet French Army Commander of Opération Amaryllis

  Prayers Military meeting where a commander issues orders to subordinates, also known as an orders group or O Group

  Prefect of Kigali Tharcisse Renzaho

  Prefect Political head of a prefecture, political division of Rwanda, similar to a governor

  Prefecture Political divisions of Rwanda based on the Belgian colonial system. In 93–94, Rwanda consisted of ten prefectures led by prefects, and sous-prefects. Rwanda is now divided into eleven prefectures/provinces

  Presidential Guard Highly trained, well-equipped, ruthless RGF bodyguard unit, based in the centre of Kigali, with detachments all over the city including near the airport in Kigali, Hutu extremist group intensely loyal to President Habyarimana

  PSD Parti social démocrate, united and influential moderate political party, known as “the intellectuals’ party.” Led by the triumvirate of Fréderic Nzamurambaho, Félicien Gatabazi and Théoneste Gafarange, based largely in Butare, Southern Rwanda, made up of moderate Hutus

  Major Luc-André Racine Canadian reinforcement MILOB employed on challenging tasks by General Dallaire due to his excellent language skills and extensive experience. Worked with recce as Sector Commander in HPZ, and as Liaison Officer to Human Rights Mission

  Radio Muhaburu Radio station operated by the RPF

  Radio Rwanda Government-controlled radio station

  Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines (RTLM) Kigali independent radio station with strong links to extremist elements in and out of the regime