Although many citizens around the world see the UN as a peacemaker who brings security to those in need. People started to lose faith in the UN after the tragic events that took place in Rwanda from April 7th to July 15t,h, which saw Tutsis, who were an ethnic minority in Rwanda that have been facing oppression for years and some moderate Hutus killed by the majority Hutu led Government and Hutu militia Interahamwe (Destexhe. 1995). There are a multiple of reasons why UN failed Rwanda during one of the most tragic events in recent times. The genocide could have been avoided because there were multiple warnings from high end officials (Stanton, 2009). In addition, the limited mandate given to UNAMIR despite requests to change it up from Dallaire which were rejected showed lack of analysis of the situation. And furthermore, the lack of political will from key UN member states to help the Rwandans. .
The conflict with the Tutsi government Rwandan Patriotic Front and the majority Hutu led Government has been going on since 1990. The Rwandan Patriotic front are against the Hutu led Government and their leader Habyarimana's regime (Gaffney, 1994). Both sides had been going through civil war since the Rwandan Patriotic Front invaded areas of Northern Rwanda. Rwandan Patriotic Front and the Hutu led government signed the Arusha Accords in 1993 to end the Conflict between both sides. The Genocide of the Tutsis started taking place after President Habyarimana plane got shot down. There were preliminary warning signs made to the UN during the civil war that went ignored. In 1993, the CIA warned the United States of imminent massacres that could potentially take 500, 000 lives (Power, 2003). Of these on January 11th, 1994, General Dallaire sent a cable warning to the UN department of peacekeeping that the pro- government militia group Interahamwe, are plotting an anti-Tutsi campaign to exterminate the Tutsis.
