Key Figures
Madame Agathe Uwilingiyimana - Prime Minister of
Rwanda in 1994. Was a moderate Hutu and therefore sought out and killed.
Anthony Lake- President Clinton's
National Security Adviser 1994. Knew all that was happening in Rwanda
but never focused on the information and the world gained another deaf
ear.
Major
Brent Beardsley- Assistant to
General Dallaire throughout the genocide.
Carl Wilkens- Head of the Adventist
Development and Relief Agency International in Rwanda and the
only America to remain after the evacuations. He saved many
lives including an entire orphanage.
Wilkens unexpectedly met with the prime minister, Jean Kambanda, and
asked him to protect the orphanage, which he did.
USA President Clinton- President
of the United States in 1994. His Administration did not use the word
"genocide" when referring
to Rwanda but rather "acts of genocide," which did not have
the same effect relating to the Convention
on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Never
sent military aide to Rwanda. In 1998 he visited the country to pay
respects to the dead, the survivors, and the new government.
Gregory “Gomo” Alex- Volunteered to return
to Rwanda and set up a Humanitarian Team in Kigali.
Rwandan President Habyarimana- Moderate
Hutu president of Rwanda in 1994. His plane was shot down with
a missile killing both him and the Hutu president of Burundi, Cyprien
Ntaryamira.
Kofi Annan- Head of the Department
of Peacekeeping UN in 1994. Ordered Dallaire not to attack or
to take any forceful action towards the Hutu Extremists. Eventually
tried to find more troops to send to Rwanda but was unsuccessful.
Laura Lane- US Embassy worker
who dubbed fleeing Rwandans as "honorary Americans" and brought them
to safety checkpoints as American convoys left Rwanda.
Madeline
Albright- US Ambassador
to UN in 1994. Fought
for a compromise: did not want to withdraw all peacekeeping units
in Rwanda. Eventually 10% of peacekeepers were allowed to
remain in Rwanda.
Captain Mbaye Diagne- Senegalese
UN captain who was based in Kigali. Throughout the genocide he ignored
UN orders of neutrality and saved an unknown amount of people from
being slaughtered. The estimate is
close to a thousand people. Diagne, unarmed, would
hide groups of people and place them on convoys out
of the country. In
addition, he rescued Prime Minister Agathe's children on the day she
was murdered. He was
killed
by flying
shrapnel at a checkpoint in late May 1994.
Paul
Kagame- Commander
of the RPF. Fought towards Kigali to overtake the Hutu Extremists.
Refused Washington's
order to cease advance on the capital and to negotiate with Hutu
Leaders. Conquered the capital in mid-July. Is the current President
of Rwanda.
Philippe Gaillard- Director
ICRC ( International
Committee of the Red Cross) station
in Kigali. Decided to publicize the incidents that were occurring,
especially the attack on Red Cross ambulances, despite the ICRC's neutrality
policy.
General
Roméo Dallaire- Canadian
UN General sent to Rwanda with a peacekeeping force of 2,500. He
remained
in Rwanda
through the entire three months of the genocide, requesting more
troops and doing the best he could to save lives. During the genocide
Dallaire
even met with death squad leaders with the intent to negotiate
with them.
Tony Marley- US State Department
Military Advisor 1994. Suggested that military tactics be used to remove
the hate radio stations (that were spreading the message to Hutus that
Tutsis must die). However, issues arose with US Constitutional Protection
of Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech.
Warren Christopher- US Secretary
of State 1994. Pushed Albright to agree
to the removal of all peacekeeping units in Rwanda.