The Role Of The United Nations In The Inter-Ethnic Conflict Of Rwanda

The inter-ethnic conflict in Rwanda led to the deaths of over 800,000 people,particularly the Tutsis. It was a testament to the failure of the internationalcommunity, particularly, the United Nations. Goal 16 of the United NationsSustainable Development Goals (SDGs) emphasizes on the promotion of peacefuland inclusive societies for sustainable development. This study will hereby examinethe role of the United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR), whichwas deployed to maintain peace and stability in Rwanda, exploring the organization’sresponse to the crisis and the factors that contributed to its ineffectiveness. This studyemploys the qualitative approach analyzing primary sources through the use ofsnowballing for identification of six (6) key stakeholders of the Nigerian Institute ofInternational Affairs (NIIA) as in-depth interviews for primary data collection whilethe secondary sources include UN documents, reports, newspapers, and academicliterature. The study finds out that the role of the United Nations in Rwanda wasmarked by various challenges including: inadequate mandate and resources forUNAMIR, failure to respond to early warning signals of the genocide, ineffectivecommunication and coordination among UN agencies, lack of culturalunderstanding and contextual knowledge on the ability to navigate the conflicts inRwanda. The UN’s failure in preventing the inter-ethnic conflict in Rwanda was dueto a combination of factors including inadequate resources, poor decision-makingprocess and lack of political will, although, there were some post-genocide eventswhich was successful. The paper recommends that the tragedy highlights the need forthe UN to reassess the strategies in its peacekeeping mandates and improve itsresponses to early warning signs of the conflict.