Rwanda Timeline

Oct. 1990: Tutsi-dominated Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) invasion of Rwanda from Uganda.

• initial assault repulsed
• continued incursions in 1991-1993
• ceasefires, followed by violations
• OAU monitoring effort attempted

 March 1993: Arusha, Tanzania peace talks begin

• June 1993: United Nations Observer Mission Uganda-Rwanda (UNOMUR) approved
• small: 81 observers at full strength in Sep. 1993
• Aug. 1993 Arush Peace Agreement reached

Oct. 1993: UNAMIR force approved

• Nov 1993: FC Dallaire requests UNHQ approval of ROE allowing UNAMIR to prevent crimes against humanity and other abuses (no reply from UNHQ
•  Jan. 1994: informant report (see GoR video excerpt "The Warning")
• 5 April 1994: UNSC extends UNAMIR until July 1994
• 6 April 1994: Rwandan president & Burundi president killed in plane shoot-down: genocide begins
• See continued timeline at GoR website
•  22 June: UNSC authorizes French "Operation Turquoise" in south-west Rwanda
• 18 July: RPF declares unilateral ceasefire; genocide ends

Was early armed intervention (April 1994) possible?

• pro intervention argument
• anti-intervention argument
• criticism of anti-intervention argument
  • Mann supports DesForges in that the bulk of the killing occurs after 20 April

Worth reading: Philippe Gaillard's Oct. Oct. 1994 and Jan. 2002 discussion of the Rwandan genocide. Gaillard was the head of the ICRC delegation in Rwanda during the genocide.