What were the roles of France, US, the UN, and other countries in the Rwandan Genocide?

Question

What was the reason the UN didn't do anything? Didn't other countries want to take action at all?

Answer 1

In my opinion, the first answer offered to this question is correct in all essentials. I disagree with it only on minor points; and also feel that a few more details may be helpful.

In brief: -
•The US was not interested in Rwanda, and anyway shy of exposure in Africa following the debacle in Somalia.
•Belgium was interested but powerless.
•France was interested, but the murderers were France's friends.
•The UN administration, as usual, played bureaucratic “pass the parcel” games.

Official US reasoning for its inaction during the Rwanda genocide was summed up in this quote from a State Department officer: “The US has no friends, only interest, and the US has no interest in Rwanda. We have no incentive.” (Source 1 below)

Horrifying though that dismissive statement may sound in relation to 800,000 murders, it was true. The US had no “interest” in Rwanda and never had any involvement in that little country. Unless every other country in the world really wants the US to become The Global Cop (and pays the expenses for that activity), we’d better expect more State Department quotes like that one. (Source 2 below)

Belgium, a small country with only a small army, but with a special “interest” in Rwanda (having been the colonial power there until independence in 1962), attempted to do much more than the US. A small Belgian paratroop contingent was present in Rwanda at the start of the killings, as part of the ridiculously inadequate UN peacekeeping force. Ten Belgian soldiers were murdered by the Hutu militia. According to Belgian sources, the Canadian commander of the UN peacekeeping force, General Roméo Dallaire, witnessed this happening and made no attempt to save the Belgians.

Pursuing its lofty vision of maintaining the French language and French culture as a rival to the English language and American culture around the world, France had ‘adopted’ Rwanda after independence. France backed the Hutus in Rwanda against the minority Tutsis. This included arming and training the Hutu militias, who led the massacres. France did eventually intervene, sending troops to establish a safe haven in Rwanda (“Operation Turquoise”). As many eyewitnesses recount, the French safe haven was not at all safe for desperate Tutsis – but was actually used to facilitate the eventual escape from Rwanda of Hutu leaders of the massacres. (Source 3 below)

Despite the fact that Kofi Annan (then in charge of the UN’s peacekeeping office) received many warnings of what was brewing in Rwanda, he did nothing to prepare for the crisis, refusing even to allow the peacekeepers to prevent arms being shipped to the Hutu militia. The United Nations remained disunited and paralyzed. Weeks of inactivity by the UN - in the face of the organized massacre of Tutsi civilians by militia forces, the police and the army - are a scandal. Worse: Kofi Annan ordered peacekeeping forces OUT of Rwanda once the Belgian paras had been attacked and murdered. General Dallaire refused Annan’s order to leave, but his residual force amounted to only 270 men. In May 1994, the UN did finally commission a new peacekeeping force of 5500 soldiers from other African nations, but they were delayed by arguments over who was going to pay for them. By the time they arrived, there was nobody left to save.

EDIT: The 3rd Source I gave below was out-of-date. I have amended it.

Answer 2

The UN had a Peacekeeping force present. Once the truce was broken, and Civil War broke out, the UN claimed it no longer had a mandate. No peace to be keeping, and bureaucracy was the usual not proactive. A combination of not sticking their neck out, it's just Africa and no economic interests anyone cared about, and watching what is going on in Europe (Bosnia) instead. US had a high standard for what they would call Genocide, which would give the UN a mandate. This was a year after Somalia, where the US was mad over their 18 dead, so they were once bitten twice shy. France had African influences that didn't want English troops going in and gaining influences. They shipped weapons into the region.

The peacekeeping forces that were there did all they could with what they had, and arguing with their UN commanders not in the country AND put their lives on the line! Saving lives while tipe-roping a potential court martial. Hats off to the Canadian,Ghana, Tunisian and Bangladesh troops. Belgian troops pulled out, but they did have lots of them massacred in the start of it.

Answer 3

It is very sad that the genocide took place. Unluckely for Rwanda it is in Africa, and we in the developed world don't care about Africa. I am not proud of it but the fact is if this was happening in Western Europe to white people the UN would act immediately!