United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda

United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda
AbbreviationUNAMIR
Formation5 October 1993
TypePeacekeeping mission
Legal statusCompleted
Head of Mission
Cameroon Jacques-Roger Booh-Booh (October 1993 – July 1994)
Pakistan Shahryar Khan (July 1994 – March 1996)
Force Commander
Canada Roméo Dallaire (October 1993 – September 1994)
Canada Guy Tousignant (September 1994 – December 1994)
India Shiva Kumar (December 1994 – March 1996)
Parent organization
United Nations Security Council

The United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) was established by United Nations Security Council Resolution 872 on 5 October 1993.[1] It was intended to assist in the implementation of the Arusha Accords, signed on 4 August 1993, which was meant to end the Rwandan Civil War.[2] The mission lasted from October 1993 to March 1996.[2] Its activities were meant to aid the peace process between the Hutu-dominated Rwandese government and the Tutsi-dominated rebel Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF). The UNAMIR has received much attention for its role in failing, due to the limitations of its rules of engagement, to prevent the Rwandan genocide and outbreak of fighting. Its mandate extended past the RPF overthrow of the government and into the Great Lakes refugee crisis. The mission is thus regarded as a major failure.[3]

  1. ^ UN Security Council (5 October 1993). "RESOLUTION 872 (1993) Adopted by the Security Council at its 3288th meeting". Security Council. p. 1.
  2. ^ a b Department of Public Information (DPI). "Rwanda-UNAMIR mandate". Peace and Security Section of DPI in cooperation with the Department of Peacekeeping Operations. (c)United Nations. Retrieved 1 May 2015.
  3. ^ "Rwanda/UN: Acknowledging Failure", AfricaFocus Bulletin (compiling several individual reports), 31 March 2004