Sitreps Detail Rwanda's Descent into Genocide 1994

Complete Collection of Peacekeepers' Situation Reports from Rwanda to UN Headquarters in New York — from the Mission's Inception in October 1993 through the End of the Genocide in July 1994

Newly Assembled Collection of Documents Provides Unique On-the-Ground Perspective Before and During Rwandan Genocide

National Security Archive Electronic Briefing Book No. 466

April 7, 2014

Edited by Jake Freyer and Emily Willard

For more information contact:
202/994-7000 or nsarchiv@gwu.edu

RELATED POSTS

The Rwandan Refugee Crisis: Before the Genocide
March 31, 2014

The Rwandan Crisis Seen Through the Eyes of France
Part One: The Leadup to the Genocide.
March 20, 2014

Warnings of Catastrophe
French, US, UN, and Belgian Documents Foreshadow the Genocide in Rwanda 1994.
March 6, 2014

The Rwanda Sitreps
Daily Pleas to New York Detail How International Failure Left Peacekeepers Ill-Equipped to Respond to Rising Violence in January 1994
February 3, 2014

The Rwanda "Genocide Fax": What We Know Now
New Documentation Paints Complex Picture of Informant and his Warnings
January 9, 2014

The U.S. and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994: The Assassination of the Presidents and the Beginning of the "Apocalypse"
April 7, 2004

The U.S. and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994: Information, Intelligence and the U.S. Response
March 24, 2004

The U.S. and the Genocide in Rwanda 1994: Evidence of Inaction
August 20, 2001

Lessons Learned from U.S. Humanitarian Interventions Abroad
May 9, 2000

IN THE NEWS

Refusing to Call it Genocide: Documents Show ClintonAdministration Ignored Mass Killings in Rwanda
Emily Willard, Democracy Now! [Video], April 7, 2014

Don't Assume that the Rwandan Genocide Couldn't Happen Today
Sarah J. Bloomfield and Michael Abramowitz, The New Republic, April 7, 2014

Britain ignored genocide threat in Rwanda
By Oscar Williams, The Independent, March 9, 2014

The Shroud Over Rwanda's Nightmare
By Michael Dobbs, The New York Times, January 9, 2014

"The Rwandan Genocide," Letter to the Editor, The New York Times
By Rafael Medoff
January 10, 2014

"The Rwandan Genocide," Letter to the Editor, The New York Times
 By Linda Melvern, Gregory Stanton, et al.
January 15, 2014 (published January 21, 2014)

Washington, DC, April 7, 2014 –The complete series of daily and weekly situation reports (sitreps) written by UN peacekeepers in Rwanda — published today by the National Security Archive for the first time in full — provides a detailed, on-the-ground perspective on the genocide in Rwanda that started twenty years ago today.

Today's posting is a collection of every single sitrep from the beginning of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) in October 1993 to the end of the genocide on July 18, 1994.[1] The documents tell a story of the broken Rwandan political system and a peacekeeping force that, because of a lack of support from UN headquarters in New York and from the members of the UN Security Council, was not equipped to handle the rising violence.

This posting is the sixth in a series being published for "Rwanda20yrs," a joint project between the National Security Archive at the George Washington University and the Simon-Skjodt Center for the Prevention of Genocide at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum. Upcoming postings will include documents about the first days of the genocide, the failure of the Arusha Accords, and the withdrawal of UNAMIR troops, among other topics.

UN Peacekeeping Troops in Rwanda circa September 1994. Photo from personal collection of Prudence Bushnell.

***

The first report (Document 1) sent by Force Commander Roméo Dallaire on October 25, 1993 was an optimistic one, though with shadows of future problems: ethnic frictions in refugee camps and rhetoric from extremist radio; equipment shortages and no approved budget for the peacekeepers; and awareness of the fragility of the peace process. These were the first indications of three patterns — warnings of massacres, internal logistical nightmares, and a crippling political impasse — that would recur in sitreps for the next six months. Nevertheless, Dallaire had high hopes: "Moral [ sic] is high and attitude positive."

The situation reports provide chilling warnings of the horrific events of the genocide to come in April 1994, including rising ethnic tensions, arming and training of young men, and massacres, among others. The sitreps tell of attacks against Tutsis in several cities in February 1994 that left dozens dead and forced hundreds to seek refuge in churches. Another sitrep mention an increase in sales of machetes, eerily foreshadowing the crude massacres to come. See more detail of these warnings and others in the situation reports below.

The sitreps also illuminate the appalling logistical situation facing the UNAMIR troops. This collection of documents adds to the previous posting about the January 1994 sitreps, which looked at the lack of basic equipment such as radios and vehicles. The equipment shortage and logistical issues started with the first sitrep in October, and lasted through the genocide, as the sitreps below detail.

In addition to lack of basic supplies, UNAMIR was operating without an approved budget. In November, (Document 4) Dallaire writes:

"The mission advance party is doing all that it can with little resources and no budget. Our effectiveness is severely hampered by the unacceptable budgetary situation. … The budget is fundamental to us being able to move forward in a reasonable way."

In this video dallaire's military assistant, Major Brent Beardsley, explains the dire situation of borrowing supplies and food due to the lack of an approved budget and fund to maintain any basic operations.

Another key narrative in the UNAMIR situation reports is that of the hopeless political dysfunction that paralyzed the peace process in Rwanda, and in several cases boiled over, foreshadowing what would come later.

The Arusha peace agreement stipulated a "Broad-Based Transitional Government" (BBTG) that would include all of Rwanda's political parties, including the formerly rebellious RPF. Attempts to install the BBTG, however, were plagued from the beginning with partisan bickering and shadows of ethnic strife, as the sitreps below detail.

The last sitrep (Document 20) before the beginning of the genocide, for April 4-5, largely continues the three narratives above: a mob is aggressive toward UNAMIR, there is still a shortage of supplies, and the government has still not been installed. What stands out most, though, is that by Rwandan standards it was a very calm day. The next time a daily sitrep was sent, (Document 21) everything had collapsed:

UN Peacekeeping Troops in Rwanda circa September 1994. Photo from personal collection of Prudence Bushnell.

"The situation returned to chaos after the crash of the presidential plane on 062030 April 94. Assassinations have been executed in the morning of 07 April 94 on political opponents of other presidential tendency and on UNAMIR troops. Ten Belgian troops have been killed and one Ghanaian [officer] is missing. Heavy firing continued throughout the day. Intermittent firing continued throughout the night also."

The documents included in this briefing book were transferred to the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda by the United Nations, for use in a series of trials of alleged genocidaires in Arusha between 1997 and 2012.  Some of the documents were formally incorporated into the evidentiary record, and are included in the ICTR database available here.

United Nations records on Rwanda remain closed to independent researchers.  The U.N. has not responded to written requests from the National Security Archive and U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum for release of relevant records from the Department of Peacekeeping and Department of Political Affairs that could shed light on the international decision-making process on Rwanda at the highest levels. For example, they could provide information about how well informed the Security Council was about the constant pleading for supplies, and significant warnings such as the infamous genocide fax.[2] It is essential that the public have access to these records in order to gain a comprehensive picture of the role of the international community before and during the Rwandan genocide and to work to prevent future genocide around the globe.

See "The Documents" section for detailed descriptions of some of the key sitreps, and see the annotated table and index below for the full collection of UNAMIR sitreps from October 25, 1993 to July 18, 1994.[3]

The Documents

Document 1
Date : October 25, 1993
To : Barril for Annan, UNations, New York
From : Dallaire, Force Commander, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : UNAMIR Situation Report 1

The first UNAMIR sitrep, sent three days after Force Commander Roméo Dallaire's arrival in Rwanda, reports general optimism, but sets the stage for many of the issues that would plague UNAMIR for the months to come. Of note, Dallaire reports ethnic tensions in camps for Burundian refugees. He also reports on the lack of an approved budget and basic supplies. Dallaire writes that the peacekeepers are "locally renting vehicles but the situation is most difficult as costs and availability [are] causing serious difficulties." He adds that a "secure fax line is available, but no qualified personnel to either install it nor any of the other ADP assets now coming in."

Document 2
Date : November 9, 1993
To : Annan UNations New York
From : Dallaire UNAMIR Kigali Rwanda
Subj .: Weekly Sitrep No. 4

This sitrep reports on a period of rising political tensions and political demonstrations; Dallaire mentions an increase in the prominence of political militia groups. Rwandan media question the participation of Belgium, the reviled former colonial power, in UNAMIR. As for the logistics situation, Dallaire reports on the maintenance situation of the vehicles which is "extremely dangerous" (emphasis in original). Additionally, though UNAMIR is already short on radios, it has to return a set of radios borrowed from the French, further decreasing its already limited communications capacity.

Document 3
Date : November 16, 1993
To : Annan UNations New York
From : Dallaire UNAMIR Kigali Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep No. 5

This sitrep provides analysis of the political situation, specifically the PL and MDR parties' split along ethnic lines and the rift between the MRND and other parties. Dallaire writes of "latent tension within all the opposition parties as ethnic points are coming to the fore as we approach the establishment of the BBTG."

Additionally, the sitrep touches on the continuing concern about Belgians serving in UNAMIR because of the Belgians' history as a colonial power in Rwanda.

UNAMIR devotes nearly an entire page to the myriad of logistical issues facing the peacekeepers, from "condemn[ing] for disposal" almost the entire fleet of vehicles due to "no maintenance and excessive mileage," to "no medical stocks at all," to the "very high risk situation" of not having radios for secure communications, about which Dallaire writes that "we cannot respond to any emergency at this time at all."

Document 4
Date : November 23, 1993
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : Dallaire, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep No. 6

This sitrep provides an in-depth report on a massacre perpetrated on the night of November 17-18 in the Ruhengeri Prefecture. The Rwandan government is eager to blame the RPF, and has on a number of occasions falsely asserted that the RPF is massing troops for an invasion. Dallaire speculates that the various violations attributed to the RPF in the north of the country are an organized effort by hardliners to direct UNAMIR's attention away from Kigali at a critical point in the peace process.

Political parties are arming and training young men in and around refugee camps in Burundi.

Logistically, UNAMIR still does not have an approved budget, and Dallaire writes that "the mission advance party is doing all that it can with little resources and no budget. Our effectiveness is severely hampered by the unacceptable budgetary situation…The budget is fundamental to us being able to move forward in a reasonable way."

Document 5
Date : December 1, 1993
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 301500B Nov to 011600B Dec 93.

Ruhengeri has been fortified by the Rwandan Government Forces (RGF), and the population is still afraid of a resumption of hostilities after the massacre two weeks earlier. Booh-Booh emphasizes that "it is becoming extremely difficult" for UNAMIR to respond to the changing situation in Rwanda due to its shortage of basic supplies.

On the political situation, Booh-Booh reports that two prominent opposition parties — the MDR and PL — split into Hutu and Tutsi factions, which complicated attempts to form an inclusive government and generally caused tensions to run higher.

Document 6
Date : December 9, 1993
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : Dallaire, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep No 8, 30 Nov to 07 Dec 93

Dallaire reports that there is increasing tension anticipating a fresh outbreak of violence between the RGF and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) in the area of Ruhengeri following massacres during the night of November 29-30, 1993. UNAMIR reports finding bodies of five young girls in a bamboo forest near where the violence took place in Ruhengeri.

Dallaire also reports that a mine severely injured a civilian guide for a UNAMIR patrol attempting to investigate the area of the violence. He writes, "EOD team investigation revealed that similar mines are used by the RGF forces. The patrol was deemed to be the target of this mine, as whoever is to be blamed, did not want the UNAMIR in the forest."

The sitrep also notes that all UNAMIR headquarters are operational as far as personnel is concerned, however, "office equipments, furniture, communication equipments and transports are still scanty. Shortages of these important items are making staffing and command and control almost ineffective."

Document 7
Date : December 14, 1993
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : Dallaire, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep No 9, 08 Dec 93 to 14 Dec 93

The general situation is reported as calm. The main political event of the week was the meeting between the Rwandan government and the Rwandan Patriotic Front (RPF) to sign the Kinihira Agreement, "a joint statement to reaffirm their readiness to participate in the transitional institutions as outlined in the Arusha Peace Agreement."

Dallaire writes that he is "concerned that force reserves has no transport, no APC or helicopters for quick deployment if situation forces it to be deployed at short notice," also noting that "most troops have no flak jackets at all." In the event of an emergency, UNAMIR response would be "very, very limited until APCs and\or helos and\or trucks are deployed" (emphasis in original).

Document 8
Date : December 17, 1993
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 161000B Dec to 171000B Dec 93

UNAMIR reports that the Catholic Bishops of Rwanda Conference expresses concern about "internal division of political parties which are supposed to provide the members of the new broad based transitional government." A solution has not been found to ease the political impasse, and the two wings of the PL submitted conflicting lists of deputies to represent the party in the Transitional National Assembly.

The sitrep notes a shortage of weapons and equipment in the Tunisian company, the only armed unit in the demilitarized zone, and makes a request to please ship vehicles for Bangladeshis. Additionally, fuel has been rationed at the airport, and "civilian and military airlines have been advised that fuel is not available."

Document 9
Date : January 4, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : Booh-Booh, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep No 12, 27 Dec 93 - 03 Jan 94

Efforts have been made to bring political parties together and unblock the situation, however in this sitrep, Booh-Booh reports that "the MDR and PL parties are seriously split." He also writes that "the head of state is concerned of moving ahead with the broad-based transitional government in this political party interval [sic] turmoil that is evolving along lines that are generally ethnic in nature." The January 1 deadline for installation of BBTG passed.

The sitrep also reports that "UNAMIR has passed its most critical week" during which its first operation was conducted on December 28, 1993 to transfer "RPF battalion and VIPs … from Mulindi to Kigali City under UNAMIR escort." Booh-Booh writes that "it was a great success. No incident occurred and all parties were delighted. UNAMIR fulfilled timely the main military requirement for the establishment of the BBTG." The political situation remains calm.

At the end of December, due to the logistical situation, troops are "barely at minimum viable level," still lacking basic equipment such as vehicles and radios.

Document 10
Date : January 11, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : Booh-Booh, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep No 13, 04 Jan 94 - 10 Jan 94

An installation ceremony for the transitional government was planned for January 8, despite continued disagreement over the different factions of the MDR and PL. Tensions ran so high that Presidential Guard and political militias that supported President Juvénal Habyarimana rioted and set up roadblocks to prevent opposition deputies from attending the ceremony.

Booh-Booh mentions continuing logistical difficulties relating to radios, body armor, transportation, and medical supplies.

UNAMIR has concentrated its forces in Kigali to prepare for and ensure security for the installation of the BBTG; as the weeks go on, though, this concentration will become unsustainable as it is "seriously jeopardizing our offensive initiatives in the KWSA [Kigali Weapons Secure Area] and in the DMZ [Demilitarized Zone]."

Document 11
Date : January 11, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : Dallaire, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep - Covering Period 100600 Jan to 110600 Jan 94

Sitreps were daily roundups of information for the DPKO in New York; if something more immediate needed to be communicated, it was sent immediately, and was then often glossed over in the daily sitrep. So when an informant came warning of large-scale, planned massacres and hidden arms caches, Dallaire wrote without delay asking his superiors for guidance — the now-famous "Genocide Fax." Later, when writing the daily sitrep, he simply said that an informant provided "a significant amount of information … on the Interahamwe political militia."

Efforts to supply UNAMIR with troop transports encountered yet another delay as none of the Bangladeshi soldiers are appropriately licensed to drive the transports from Dar es Salaam to Kigali.

Document 12
Date : January 24, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 230600B Jan to 240600B Jan 94

This sitrep relays a chilling incident that demonstrates the power of Rwanda's political militias: Members of the MRND's Interahamwe militia protested the detention of one of their comrades-arrested for blowing up a house-so ferociously that Gendarmerie (Rwandan security) and UNAMIR forces had to flee the scene, after which "[l]ocals (mostly Tutsi) were molested and beaten."

Booh-Booh repeats the usual logistics complaint that UNAMIR lacks basic equipment such as vehicles and radios.

Document 13
Date : January 31, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 300600B Jan to 310600B Jan 94

Civilians inform UNAMIR that "a particular group" is planning massacres in Gacuriro. There are a number of grenade explosions in the city, including two that target UNAMIR compounds (which cause some non-UN civilian casualties).

The Armored Personnel Carriers have arrived, along with about 100 other vehicles from UNTAC. The former are brand new, but the latter are "all … in a bad state."

Document 14
Date : February 24, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York; Jonah, UNations, New York
From : Booh-Booh, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep Nb 19, 15 Feb 94 - 22 Feb 94

The political situation has turned explosive with the assassination of Félicien Gatabazi, minister of public works and a leader of the opposition PSD party. This was followed by the killing of Martin Bucyana, president of the pro-Habyarimana CDR party, seen as an act of revenge.

More attempts have been made to install the BBTG, but the RPF is not attending because it objects to Habyarimana's "imposed solution" to the problem of the fractured MDR and PL. Negotiations are ongoing.

Document 15
Date : February 23, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 220600B Feb to 230600B Feb 94

"The general situation is observed to be explosive" writes Booh-Booh in the aftermath of the assassinations of Gatabazi and Bucyana. The following period was marked by "killing, violence, protests demonstrations and intimidation." The sitrep reports grenade attacks, banditry, roadblocks, protests, and ambushes everywhere, resulting in at least five deaths.

Document 16
Date : March 1, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York; Jonah, UNations, New York
From : Booh-Booh, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep Nb 20, 23 Feb 94 - 28 Feb 94

Violence continues in response to the assassinations of Gatabazi and Bucyana. This sitrep tells of attacks against Tutsis in several cities that left dozens dead and forced hundreds to seek refuge in churches, foreshadowing on a small scale what would become all out genocide in April 1994. Four political parties boycott another ceremony intended to install the transitional government — now 57 days overdue — but President Habyarimana appeals for unity.

Document 17
Date : March 1, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 280600B Feb to 010600B Mar 94

In this sitrep Booh-Booh writes that business owners reported that "a lot of machetes were sold in the last few days." United Nations Civilian Police (Civpol) is also getting more and more reports of violence attributable to ethnic prejudice.

Problems with vehicles and radios are "getting there," but UNAMIR has grown very frustrated with the the absence of helicopters, which are needed for a rapid reaction force.

Document 18
Date : March 4, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep 030600B Mar to 040600B Mar 94

This sitrep reports that while the transitional government failed to be installed again, political negotiations between the Rwandan government and the RPF continue.

United Nations Civilian Police (Civpol) who are investigating the assassination of the Public Works Minister, Félicien Gatabazi, don't have equipment or ballistics experts, so they had to base their entire investigation on photos taken with a private camera.

Document 19
Date : April 5, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York; Goulding, UNations, New York
From : Booh-Booh, UNAMIR, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Weekly Sitrep Nb 25, 29 Mar 94 - 04 Apr 94

More than four months past the deadline for installing the BBTG, the stalemate persisted, always with a new stumbling block. This time, RPF refuses to agree to let CDR be a part of the transitional government because of its refusal to renounce ethnic hatred.

Booh-Booh writes that the logistical situation continues to cause major problems and that the peacekeeping troops are "very, repeat very dissatisfied" with helicopter situation — they still have not received helicopters needed for a "rapid reaction force" deemed essential for carrying out their mission.

The sitrep also reports that a CDR youth leader was killed in a gunfight.

Document 20
Date : April 5, 1994
To : (Annan)
From : (Marchal) UNAMIR, Kigali
Subj. : Sitrep Covering Period 040600B Apr to 050600B Apr 94

The last sitrep before the beginning of the genocide largely continues the three narratives discussed in previous sitreps: a mob is aggressive toward UNAMIR, there is still a shortage of supplies, and the government has still not been installed. What stands out most, though, is that by Rwandan standards it was a very calm day.

Document 21
Date : April 8, 1994
To : Annan, UNations, New York
From : J.-R. Booh-Booh, SRSG, UNAMIr, Kigali, Rwanda
Subj. : Daily Sitrep Period 070600B Apr to 080600B Apr 94

The day after the start of the genocide, Booh-Booh reports that everything has collapsed:

The situation returned to chaos after the crash of the presidential plane on 062030 April 94. Assassinations have been executed in the morning of 07 April 94 on political opponents of other presidential tendency and on UNAMIR troops. Ten Belgian troops have been killed and one Ghanaian officer is missing. Heavy fire continued throughout the day. Intermittent firing continued throughout the night also.

 

THE UNAMIR SITREPS

NOTES