Political Science

Rwanda April-May 1994
Democracies have gone through strenuous transitions in most developing countries but more specifically the war stricken nations of Africa, Asia, and other developing regions.  A democratic nation will exercise freedom of expression, speech, worship, movement and citizens will have the right to life, as well as equality and justice which up hold human dignity.  However, warring nations disintegrate along tribalism, racism, injustice and unfair treatment as well as the indiscriminate loss of life by citizens.  It is the responsibility of the national leadership to protect the youth and the old of the nation but most are the times when these leaders have involved themselves in the fight for power at the expense of human life, in which case civil wars have cropped leading to unprecedented cruelty, killings and torture to the citizens. 

Genocides are common in such nations where people of a country are divided along political powers and tribal lines.  For example, in Rwanda 1994, two presidents, Cyprien Ntarymira of Burundi and the Rwandan president Habyarimana, who traveled back to Rwanda from Arusha in Tanzania crashed on a presidential aircraft which was shot down.  This was aimed at the termination of the long serving autocratic presidency that the Rwandan president had enjoyed for 20 year.  The accord which the presidents had been working on in Tanzania was a key cause of opposition to the government and the military in Rwanda.  The result was devastating since million people were slaughtered (Rwanda, 1994). Those targeted in the killing were the prime minister, priests and any leaders who would lead an opposition against genocide.

The international community viewing that the war was intensifying they sent rescue teams to evacuate their own citizens from Rwanda and Burundi.  The UN mission now had to intervene, rescue the Tutsi, unite the killers and the civilians and may be create a peaceful environment in Kigali Rwanda and its surroundings. The United Nations Security Council withdrew by April 1994 through the request by the United Nation. The UNAMIR which was formed in 1993 to initiate peaceful transition in Rwanda was however left to carry out some peace making negotiations with the killers. 

The United Nation met on 16th may 1994 when the situation was almost unbearable genocide was in progress and inhumane treatment of citizens spread allover Rwanda.  This marked the empowerment of the UNAMIR II, empowerment which encouraged the sending of 5,500 war combatant troops in Kigali Rwanda.  This was neither successful nor were there attempts to save life achieved. Their failure is attributed to the delays that were faced by the peace making team when they could not delver assistance immediately (Rwanda, 1994).

However, the France decided to intervene in June while the UN gave her the mandate to intervene. The France after entering the nation form Zaire managed to erect a humanitarian zone in Rwanda south west where they were able to save more than 10,000 Tutsi lives.  The Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) announced a new government on of July 4th 1994 which was lead by transitional government that had been selected in the Arusha Accord, thus bringing to an end the genocide (Rwanda, 1994).

In conclusion, the United Nations failed to take an active role in the solution of genocide that was very evident in Rwanda.  Humanitarian agencies however played their role in offering assistance to the displaced Rwandans after the genocide. One tenth of the total population of Rwanda was killed in the crises and there is need to build up a strong national leadership that is ready to nurture the development of peace in the nation to avoid a repeat of the same.