Watching the World

UN Failure

“It is a failure not only for the United Nations; it is a failure for the international community. And all of us are responsible for this failure,” lamented UN secretary-​general Boutros Boutros-​Ghali in speaking of the slaughter in Rwanda. “It is a genocide which has been committed. More than 200,000 people have been killed and the international community is still discussing what ought to be done.” As reported on May 26, the secretary-​general said that he had written to over 30 heads of State and begged them to send troops and had worked with different organizations in an effort to find a solution. “Unfortunately,” he added, “I failed. It is a scandal. I am the first one to say it.” Few African nations can afford the costs of sending troops, especially since the UN has delayed reimbursements because of its own financial difficulties. Most Western nations have declined to get involved, and U.S. president Bill Clinton mentioned that using American military power was not justified by the interests at stake. Mr. Boutros-​Ghali placed the blame on “donor fatigue,” as the nations who supply personnel and money are being asked to do so for 17 different United Nations operations, according to The New York Times.

No Human Explanation

“Can anything explain Rwanda’s sudden appalling bloodlust?” asks The Economist of London. “Even long-​standing [ethnic] hostility does not explain the ruthless murder.” While the Tutsi and the Hutu may look a bit different, they have lived for centuries alongside one another and have shared a commmon language and culture. The article compares their tribal difference to that between the Scots and the English. “Yet now they have turned on each other, not with impersonal mortars or long-​range rifles but with machetes, hoes, clubs and bare hands. Neighbours have killed neighbours, even old childhood friends. Men, women and children have been slaughtered alike. Why? No one seems able to say.”