30 years after Rwanda genocide, cautious optimism history won’t repeat: Dallaire

Romeo Dallaires says he remains concerned about the continued presence of the genocide's perpetrators and masterminds in Africa and around the world — including in Canada.

Three decades after the devastating Rwandan genocide, the retired Canadian general who led the United Nations peacekeeping mission that failed to stop the killings says he’s cautiously optimistic the world is moving toward a place where such brutality can never happen again.

But Romeo Dallaire, in an interview that aired Sunday on The West Block, told host Mercedes Stephenson he remains concerned about the continued presence of the genocide’s perpetrators and masterminds in Africa and around the world — including in Canada — who have not been brought to justice.

“Unless you bring justice throughout the process, you’re going to continue to have people who are getting away with it, and will nurture this (genocidal hatred) in the next generation,” he said. “And that’s the real concern.”

An estimated 800,000 Tutsi were killed by extremist Hutu in massacres that lasted over 100 days in 1994. Some moderate Hutu who tried to protect members of the Tutsi minority also were targeted and killed.

The genocide was ignited on April 6, 1994, when a plane carrying president Juvénal Habyarimana, a member of the majority Hutu, was shot down in the capital Kigali. The Tutsi were blamed for downing the plane and killing the president. Enraged, gangs of Hutu extremists began killing Tutsi and anyone who tried to protect them, backed by the army and police.

The Rwandan Patriotic Front, led by current President Paul Kagame, ultimately brought the genocide to an end and has ruled the country ever since. Many Hutu leaders, commanders and supporters fled the country into what is now the Democratic Republic of Congo as well as other parts of Africa, Europe, the United States and Canada.

Tensions have been building between Rwanda and the Congo in recent months, with military buildups on the shared border and accusations between the two countries of supporting violent insurgents. Rwanda claims Hutu extremists have embedded themselves in the Congolese armed forces, while Congo accuses Rwanda of supporting M23, the largest rebel group behind the violence there.

Dallaire has called the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda that he led a “failure” for not being able to stop the genocide, largely due to interference from the United States and other U.N. Security Council members.