Roméo Dallaire
Roméo A. Dallaire (born June 25, 1946 in Denekamp, The Netherlands) is a Canadian general, humanitarian, and author. Dallaire is best known for having served as Force Commander of UNAMIR, the ill-fated United Nations peacekeeping force in Rwanda in 1994 when a war of genocide was waged by Hutu extremists against Hutu moderates and Tutsis.
Dallaire was born in 1946 in Holland to Staff-Sergeant Roméo Louis Dallaire, a Canadian non-commissioned officer, and Catherine Vermeassen, a Dutch nurse. He spent his childhood in Montréal.
He enrolled in the Canadian Army in 1964 , as a cadet at Le Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean . In 1989 he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier-General.
In late 1993 Dallaire was assigned the position of Force Commander of UNAMIR. Rwanda had just endured several years of bloody civil war which had been concluded with the Arusha Accords, and UNAMIR's mandate was to supervise the peaceful transfer of power to the new Rwandan government.
After the situation in Rwanda deteriorated, Dallaire became aware of the ethnic cleansing taking place and pled for reinforcements of 2000 soldiers for his Canadian contigent plus logistical support. The UN Security Council refused, several journalists laying blame on a gunshy Clinton administration who refused to provide requested material aid after the failed US efforts in Mogadishu, Somalia. The Security Council voted to reduce UNAMIR down to 260 men.
Following the Belgian forces' withdrawal after 10 soldiers were killed, Dallaire consolidated his contingent of Canadian, Ghanian, and Dutch soldiers in urban areas and focused on providing areas of 'safe control'. His actions are credited with directly saving the lives of 20,000 Tutsis. There is speculation that Dallaire's forces deliberately sabotaged equipment to slow their UN-mandated withdrawal from the combat zone.
As the massacre progressed, the UN Security Council backtracked on its position and voted to establish UNAMIR II with a strength of 5,500 men. Unfortunately this taskforce's inception was delayed due to logistical problems and bureacracy, and was not effective until early 1995.
Dallaire was medically released from the Canadian Armed Forces on April 22, 2000 suffering from serious attacks of clinical depression. At the time of his retirement he held the rank of Lieutenant-General.
In January 2002 Dallaire was awarded the inaugural Aegis Trust Award.
In October 2002 the Documentary "The Last Just Man"[1] was released, which chronicles the Rwandan genocide and features interviews with Dallaire, his aid and other people who were involved in one way or the other with the events that happened in Rwanda, it was directed by Steven Silver.
Dallaire chronicled the eventful months he spent in Rwanda in his 2003 book .
In April 2004, Dallaire appeared at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda to testify against Colonel Théoneste Bagosora.
He is currently working with international agencies whose focus is upon war-affected children and child labour.
Early life and education
Rwanda
Life after Rwanda
Preceded by:
UNAMIR created by special order of United NationsForce Commanders of UNAMIR
Major-General Guy Tousignant (Canada)