Canadian military officer in Rwanda

Running head: CANADIAN PEACEKEEPING IN RWANDA
CANADA PEACEKEEPING IN RWANDA
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CANADIAN PEACEKEEPING IN RWANDA1
Introduction
There has been a significant mystique concerning peacekeeping for most of the
Canadians. The notion that Canada has been serving as a peacekeeping nation par excellence
reflects utmost peacekeeping strategies and practices. In the view of Carroll, considering the
extent of morality this myth has made Canadians develops consideration of them along with their
global expectations, it has eventually resulted in damage. Such damage has negatively resulted in
rise of impracticable expectations regarding what Canada as well as the blue berets might attain
on the global platform. Since Canada’s participation in the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping
actions has not attained considerable appreciation and has been grounded on concrete factors of
nationwide egotism rather by altruism, there is a lot which the Canadian Armed Forces needs to
deliver to the world in regards to future peace as well as security operations (Maarleveld). The
thesis statement of the essay is “Canadian government must not forget the successes which came
after Rwanda mission, if peacekeeping is part of the equation.”
Discussion
Canada has been serving as a major contributor to range of UN peacekeeping operations
in the African country of Rwanda. Nevertheless, the United Nations Assistance Mission for
Rwanda (UNAMIR) commanded by Canadian Major-General Roméo Dallaire showed
incompetence of preventing the slaughter of around 800,000 Rwandans in 1994. Melvern has
mentioned that when Canadian Armed Forces members got involved into peacekeeping mission,
they had encountered hazardous situations where the risk of harm and destruction had been
severe. During this chaos, Canada along with other UN countries shifted with a purpose of
ending the bloodshed and successfully reinstating order. Comprehensive studies have claimed
that the United Nations carried on peacekeeping missions to Rwanda from 1993 to 1996 with the

CANADIAN PEACEKEEPING IN RWANDA2
support of UNAMIR. Even with the strong support of UN mission to Rwanda, critical situation
in the nation resulted in a terrible situation in 1994. According to Carroll, the Hutus began to
carnage millions of Tutsis and restrain Hutus. UN soldiers at this juncture showed immense
support.
The Canadian and other UN forces remained in the nation for considerable period with a
purpose of helping the country with few humanitarian initiatives, mine clearance as well as
resettlement of immigrants before their exit in 1996. In the view of Thomson, Rwanda is still in
the process of overcoming its vehement past. Although the civil war genocide along with major
immigrant upheavals has been continuing to shape the country, Rwanda has been able to under
economic development with considerable level of peace within the nation. On the contrary,
Galloway has argued that while much has been written regarding the heroic initiatives taken by
the former Major General Roméo Dallaire, there cannot be found much record of the following
Canadian mission UNAMIR II. Furthermore, Dallaire and Roger have claimed that the
deployment which facilitated the solidity and reestablished structure to the damaged Rwanda has
not been recorded on the digital catalogue of the National Defence Department. Meanwhile,
studies of Melvern have found that hostile fire, destructive crowds with collision of vehicles
critically impacted the Canadians in Rwanda. Additionally, the harms and turmoil of
peacekeeping must not be considered as sole physical destructions of the conflict zone. In the
view of Pugliese, perceiving human brutality of the most dreadful conflict has showed severe
impact on people who have witnessed it. Such damage has been considered as one of the critical
heritages of Canada’s peace support undertaking in Rwanda. Number of veterans who played
decisive role in Rwanda has since been experiencing emotional disorder like post-traumatic
stress disorder (PTSD). Galloway has claimed despite of such massive support of Canadian