A lack of international attention to the people of sub-Saharan Africa has been responsible for the absence of effective intervention by nations during the Rwandan massacres and other human rights violations in the region, said General Romeo Dallaire, former commander of United Nations peacekeeping forces in Rwanda.
In his speech, entitled "The War-Affected Children of Rwanda," Dallaire posed the question, "Are all humans human, or are some more human than others?" He said there is a "value" placed on human life that favors residents of strategically important and economically bountiful areas.
He cited Yugoslavia as an example, saying that more people died in 100 days in Rwanda than in 8 or 9 years of fighting in Yugoslavia, yet Yugoslavia received far more financial, political, media, and military attention.
He commented on the growing tendency of nations to violate the rules of the Geneva Convention, in particular noting the use of children as combatants.
"Children have become weapons," he said. "Children are far more effective [fighters] than adults" because they are easier to keep under control with fear and drugs and because they are easily kidnapped and therefore a plentiful resource.
Dallaire said that one of his key concerns is the lack of discussion and action in the rehabilitation of these children. Boys are especially susceptible to the allure of crime and banditry in the impoverished region. Girls, although rarely conscripted to fight, are often victims of rape and therefore normally need a longer period of time to rehabilitate, a point often overlooked, he said.
Although Dallaire seemed more interested in creating awareness and coming up with solutions than in placing blame, he did make several negative comments about the United Nations and the United States' foreign policy.
He expressed frustration with U.N. policies, especially with regards to the rules of engagement for the peacekeeping forces. The peacekeepers in Rwanda were only authorized to use force in self-defense, even when witnessing horrible human rights violations. He said this policy is rooted in the unwillingness of many nations to lose even relatively small numbers of their soldiers in dealing with potential human rights crises.Dallaire also mentioned Somalia, saying that the US received a "bloody nose" in the 1993 operation in which 18 U.S. servicemen were killed in Mogadishu.
He said, though, that the failed operation did not provide sufficient grounds to remove U.S. forces from the region, and that a U.S. departure from the region in effect left the international community's work there "without credibility."
Addressing the United States, Dallaire said "You are a world power; you are not a world police force."
Despite the strife and poverty endemic to sub-Saharan Africa, Dallaire said that "we can change the dimensions of human culture, of humanity;" and that people "must work...everyday" to effect these changes.
Dallaire was born in Holland and is currently a special advisor to Canada's Minister of International Cooperation.
This speech is part of "In the Aftermath of Genocide: The Refugee Crisis in Central Africa," a conference with events through Saturday organized by the Dickey Center's War and Peace Studies Department.
