Rwanda: Mid April 1994-Mid May 1994

Category: Genocide

By Mid April the United Nations is increasingly less interested in commiting troups to Rwanda as well as the United States who does not want to repeat Somalia. As a result of decreasing interest in getting involved in the region the UN cuts the forces present in Rwanda by 90%. Meanwhile, Romeo Dallaire, the head of U.N. forces in the war-torn nation is pleading for more troops.Without more troops the forces present cannot put up a strong enough front to instill peace in the region.
By the end of April the U.N. acknowledges that atrocities are occuring in Rwanda but refuses to use the word genocide because the term genocide suggests that action must be taken and no nation is willing to be the first to take action. The United States does not have an interest in the region because they do not gain anything from helping stop the genocide, As a result, no other nation takes the lead because nations do not wish to defy the example set by the United States and do not posess the resources to do so.
By the middle of May it is estimated that about 500,000 people have died in just 6 weeks.