Rwanda Rebels Accept U.N. Peacekeeping Force, Contrary to Previous Stance

Strategic Insights -

The Rwanda Patriotic Front, led by Col. Alexis Kanyarengwe, has agreed in principle to the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force in Rwanda, a move that contrasts with their earlier stance against foreign intervention in the ethnic conflict. The U.N. Security Council has authorized a 5,500-member peacekeeping force and the immediate dispatch of 150 U.N. military observers to halt the widespread massacres in Rwanda. The move follows the mysterious plane crash of President Juvenal Habyarimana, a Hutu, which led to the outbreak of violence between Hutu-dominated government troops and Tutsi-led rebels.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Rwanda Patriotic Front's chairman, Col. Alexis Kanyarengwe, has accepted in principle the deployment of a U.N. peacekeeping force in Rwanda with a humanitarian mission.
  • The U.N. Security Council has authorized a 5,500-member peacekeeping force and the immediate dispatch of 150 U.N. military observers to try to halt the massacres in Rwanda.
  • The conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 200,000 people in the past six weeks, with the violence a result of ethnic strife between Hutu and Tutsi groups.
  • Col. Kanyarengwe has castigated U.N. special envoy to Rwanda Jacques-Roger Booh Booh, stating that the RPF does not want to have anything to do with him due to perceived bias.
  • The conflict has led to an estimated 320,000 Rwanda refugees in neighboring Tanzania, with President Ali Hassan Mwinyi contacting heads of state to find ways to halt the war.
  • Tanzania has failed twice to reconcile the two warring groups during peace talks in Arusha.

Statistics:

  • At least 200,000 people have been killed in the conflict between Hutu-dominated government troops and Tutsi-led rebels in the past six weeks.
  • The U.N. Security Council has authorized a 5,500-member peacekeeping force to be deployed in Rwanda.
  • 150 U.N. military observers have been dispatched immediately to try to halt the massacres in Rwanda.
  • An estimated 320,000 Rwanda refugees are currently in neighboring Tanzania.
  • The conflict has resulted in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of people, with the violence a result of ethnic strife between Hutu and Tutsi groups.

Sources:

  • UN Security Council decision to authorize peacekeeping force in Rwanda
  • Statement by Col. Alexis Kanyarengwe, Chairman of the Rwanda Patriotic Front
  • Report by Radio Tanzania on President Ali Hassan Mwinyi's efforts to halt the war
  • Report by Radio Muhabura on Col. Kanyarengwe's criticism of U.N. special envoy Jacques-Roger Booh Booh
  • Report by UN on the conflict in Rwanda