Roméo Dallaire facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Roméo Dallaire
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Roméo Dallaire in 2017
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| Canadian Senator from Quebec (Gulf) |
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| In office March 25, 2005 – June 17, 2014 |
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| Nominated by | Paul Martin |
| Appointed by | Adrienne Clarkson |
| Preceded by | Roch Bolduc |
| Succeeded by | Éric Forest |
| Personal details | |
| Born |
Roméo Antonius Dallaire
June 25, 1946 Denekamp, Netherlands |
| Political party | Independent (2014–Present) |
| Other political affiliations |
Liberal (2005–2014) |
| Spouse |
Marie-Claude Michaud
(m. 2020)Elizabeth Roberge
(m. 1976; div. 2019) |
| Children | 3 (Willem, Catherine, Guy) |
| Alma mater | Royal Military College of Canada (BSc) |
| Military service | |
| Allegiance | Canada |
| Branch/service |  Canadian Army |
| Years of service | 1963–2000 |
| Rank | Lieutenant-general |
| Commands |
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| Awards | Officer of the Order of Canada Companion of the Order of Military Merit Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec Meritorious Service Cross Canadian Forces' Decoration |
Roméo Antonius Dallaire (born June 25, 1946) is a Canadian retired military officer and politician. He served as a senator from Quebec from 2005 to 2014. Before that, he was a lieutenant-general in the Canadian Armed Forces. He is best known for leading UNAMIR, a United Nations peacekeeping mission in Rwanda from 1993 to 1994. During this time, he tried to stop the terrible genocide where Hutu extremists killed many Tutsi people. Today, Dallaire is a Senior Fellow at the Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (MIGS). He also co-directs the MIGS Will to Intervene Project.
Contents
Early Life and Military Training
Roméo Antonius Dallaire was born in Denekamp, Netherlands. His father was a Canadian soldier, and his mother was a Dutch nurse. When he was six months old, Dallaire moved to Canada with his mother. They arrived in Halifax on December 13, 1946. He grew up in Montreal.
In 1963, he joined the Canadian Army as a cadet at Le Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. He graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada in 1970 with a science degree. After that, he became an officer in The Royal Regiment of Canadian Artillery.
Dallaire later studied at other military colleges. These included the Canadian Land Force Command and Staff College and the United States Marine Corps Command and Staff College. He also attended the British Higher Command and Staff Course.
He led the 5e Régiment d'artillerie légère du Canada. In 1989, he was promoted to brigadier-general. He then commanded the 5th Canadian Mechanized Brigade Group. From 1990 to 1993, he was also the leader of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean.
Mission in Rwanda
Starting the Mission
In late 1993, Dallaire became the leader of UNAMIR. This was the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda. Rwanda was in the middle of a civil war. The fighting was between the Hutu government and a smaller Tutsi rebel group. UNAMIR's job was to help carry out the Arusha Accords. These were peace agreements. The goal was to give Tutsis positions of power in the Hutu government.
There were signs of trouble early on. In January 1994, a French plane landed in Kigali, Rwanda's capital. It was full of weapons for the Hutu army. Dallaire could not take these weapons. His UN mission did not allow him to stop such shipments. The Rwandan army said the weapons were ordered before the peace agreement. They showed papers proving the weapons came from several countries. Also, Rwandan government troops started checking ID cards. These cards showed if people were Hutu or Tutsi. Later, these cards helped Hutu groups find their victims.
Conditions Get Worse
On April 6, 1994, a plane carrying Rwanda's president was shot down over Kigali Airport. The president of Burundi was also on board. After the plane crash, Hutu extremists blamed the Tutsis. They used this as an excuse to start widespread killings of Tutsis. Many moderate government officials were also killed.
Dallaire quickly sent ten Belgian soldiers to protect the new prime minister. But she and her husband were killed. The next day, the Belgian soldiers were also found dead. These ten Belgian UN peacekeepers were taken by Rwandan government forces. They were held hostage at a military camp and killed there.
Dallaire asked for more help and 2,000 more soldiers for UNAMIR. He believed 5,000 well-equipped troops could stop the killings. But the UN Security Council said no. This was partly because the U.S. did not want to get involved. The U.S. had become careful about sending troops after some American soldiers died in Mogadishu, Somalia the year before. The Security Council even decided to reduce UNAMIR to only 270 troops.
Since the UN mission had not changed, the Belgian troops began to leave. Other European troops also left. Dallaire felt very sad and betrayed as the last Belgian plane left.
The Genocide Begins
After the Belgian forces left, Dallaire gathered his remaining soldiers. These were from Pakistani, Canadian, Ghanaian, Tunisian, and Bangladeshi forces. He focused on creating "safe areas" in and around Kigali. Most of Dallaire's efforts were to protect specific places where Tutsis were hiding. Dallaire and his team often used their UN status to save Tutsis. They faced attacks even when they were outnumbered. Dallaire and his staff are credited with saving the lives of 32,000 people.
Dallaire praised the Tunisian and Ghanaian soldiers for their brave work. Ghana lost three peacekeepers. However, he felt the Bangladeshi soldiers were not well-trained or equipped. He was especially critical of their leaders for not being loyal to the mission.
End of the Genocide
As news of the killings spread, the U.N. Security Council changed its mind. They voted to create UNAMIR II with 5,500 soldiers. This was in response to a French plan to occupy parts of the country. Dallaire was against the French troops at first. This was because France had supported the Hutus in the past.
The genocide finally ended in early July. This was when Tutsi rebel troops, led by Paul Kagame, took control of Kigali. By August, Kagame's forces controlled all of Rwanda.
The genocide lasted for 100 days. Between 800,000 and 1,171,000 Tutsi, moderate Hutu, and Twa people were killed. Over two million people had to leave their homes. The killings stopped when the Rwandan Patriotic Front took control of Rwanda on July 18, 1994.
Life After Rwanda
After returning to Canada, Dallaire took on new roles in the military. In 1994, he became Deputy Commander of Canadian Forces Land Force Command and Commander of 1 Canadian Division. In 1995, he led Land Force Quebec Area.
He continued to rise in the military. In 1996, he became Chief of Staff for personnel at the National Defence Headquarters. He also became a special advisor on officer training.
Dallaire openly talks about his struggles with posttraumatic stress disorder. He is a strong supporter of raising awareness for veterans' mental health.
In 2004, Dallaire testified at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda. His testimony was important in the trial of Colonel Théoneste Bagosora. Bagosora was later found guilty of genocide and for the killings of the 10 Belgian peacekeepers.
Dallaire also worked as a special advisor to the Canadian Government. He focused on children affected by war and stopping the spread of small weapons. He also worked with international groups on these issues, including child labour. He believes in the idea of working together through organizations. From 2004 to 2005, he was a fellow at Harvard University's Carr Center For Human Rights Policy. He supports the Genocide Intervention Network.
On March 24, 2005, Prime Minister Paul Martin appointed Dallaire to the Canadian Senate. He represented the province of Quebec as a Liberal.
In 2007, Dallaire called for the reopening of Collège militaire royal de Saint-Jean. He wanted it to be a military college for French-speaking cadets.
Concordia University announced in 2006 that Dallaire would be a Senior Fellow at their Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies. Later that month, he asked the world to be ready to protect Bahá'ís in Iran from possible harm.
Senator Dallaire has worked to help people understand post-traumatic stress disorder. He has given talks at many universities in Canada and the U.S. He has also written articles and chapters in books about solving conflicts, helping people, and human rights.
In the Media
In Samantha Power's 2002 book, A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide, Senator Dallaire is a major part of the story of the Rwanda Genocide. Power also wrote the introduction to Dallaire's own book, Shake Hands with the Devil. In a 2004 article, Dallaire asked NATO to help stop the genocide in Darfur. He said that since the West had called it genocide and promised to stop it, it was time to keep that promise.
Documentaries and Films
In October 2002, a documentary called The Last Just Man was released. It tells the story of the Rwandan genocide and includes interviews with Dallaire.
A documentary film called Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire was released in 2004. It was inspired by his book and shows Dallaire returning to Rwanda ten years later. The film won an Audience Award at the 2004 Sundance Film Festival.
In 2004, PBS Frontline showed a documentary called The Ghosts of Rwanda. In an interview for the film, Dallaire said that Rwanda would always be a part of him.
The 2004 film Hotel Rwanda had a Canadian Forces colonel based on Dallaire, played by Nick Nolte. Dallaire said that neither the producer nor Nolte talked to him before making the film. He said he did not agree with Nolte's portrayal, but thought the film was "okay."
A Canadian dramatic film, also called Shake Hands with the Devil, was made in 2006. It was based on Roméo Dallaire's 2003 book. Roy Dupuis played Lieutenant-General Dallaire. Dallaire was consulted for this film, unlike Hotel Rwanda. The film won an award for its original song.
Songs About Dallaire
Dallaire inspired the song Kigali by Canadian singer-songwriter Jon Brooks. The song is on his album Ours And The Shepherds, which is about Canadian war stories.
Another folk song titled Roméo Dallaire was written by Andy McGaw. McGaw's song talks about how the United Nations did not do enough during the Rwanda genocide.
The song Run Roméo Run by Welsh singer James Dean Bradfield is also about Dallaire. It is on his 2006 album The Great Western.
Awards and Recognition
In 1996, Dallaire received the Legion of Merit from the United States. This is a very high military decoration for foreigners. In 2002, he received the first Aegis Trust Award. On October 10 of that year, he was made an Officer in the Order of Canada.
In a Canadian Broadcasting Corporation program called The Greatest Canadian, Dallaire was voted the highest-rated military figure, placing 16th overall. In 2005, Governor-General Adrienne Clarkson gave Dallaire the 25th Pearson Peace Medal. In 2006, he received the Human Security Award from the University of California, Irvine.
Dallaire has received many honorary doctorates from universities in Canada and the U.S. These include degrees from the University of Saskatchewan, Boston College, and the University of Calgary.
In June 2006, Queens College of the City University of New York gave him a Doctorate of Humane Letters. This was to recognize his work in Rwanda and his efforts to speak out against genocide. He received a standing ovation for saying that "no human is more human than any other."
His book Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda won the Governor General's Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004.
In 2007, General Dallaire planted a tree at the Kofi Annan International Peacekeeping Training Centre in Ghana.
Senator Dallaire was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002. He became a Grand Officer of the National Order of Quebec in 2005. He also received the Aegis Award for Genocide Prevention.
Dallaire was one of the eight people who carried the Olympic Flag at the opening ceremony for the 2010 Olympic Winter Games in Vancouver.
There are elementary schools named after Dallaire in Vaughan, Ontario, Winnipeg, Manitoba, and Ajax, Ontario. A street in Calgary, Alberta, is also named after him.
See also
In Spanish: Roméo Dallaire para niños
- Role of the international community in the Rwandan Genocide
