What was the International reaction?
The immediate response of the International community was mixed. On one hand the United Nations chose to take a position of extreme caution,in spite of of having a peace- keeping force on the ground well before the killing started. General Dallaire, the Canadian heading the UN forces cabled the official in charge operations, Kofi Annan, immediately after the presidents plane went down with this plea: "Give me the means and I can do more." The response was to maintain a presence but not to take any military action. When it was apparent that Europeans within Rwanda were endangered troops from France and Belgium immediately arrived to evacuate white people only. The United States response was also caution but caution stemming from the recent disaster in Somalia. The U.S. Embassy in Kigali was instructed to evacuate all American personnel, including missionaries. On the other hand, one missionary named Carl Wilkens of the Seventh Day Adventist Mission chose to stay and was instrumental in convincing the government to spare the children in orphanages run by the church. Another example was the Senegalese Captain with the UN forces who managed to create a underground system that saved hundreds of lives. His story became the movie "Hotel Rwanda." The most impressive example of heroism by the international community was the work of the Red Cross whose stubborn and tireless medical work saved 85,000 lives.
The response of the international community after the killing stopped was much different. An international court was set up in Tanzania to begin prosecution of those responsible for the Rwanda Genocide. Unfortunately most of the top leaders had already escaped to neighboring African countries or to Europe and has taken year to bring them even a few to justice. The UN stated eventually that the decision to remain neutral was wrong. Even president Bill Clinton came to Rwanda shortly after the killing and pledged to never let this happen again. Everyone now admitted that they knew what was happening and admitted their guilt in not taking step to stop what became the most terrible violation of human rights since World War II.
Two convictions by The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda stand out as setting a standard for judging human rights violations. Needless to say, the leaders of the Hutu government were charged and convicted with mass murder. However the conviction of the heads of the television and print media for acts of genocide set a precedent for holding media responsible for their role in the killing. Equally important was the conviction of men for genocide inflicted sexually; it was the first time rape was to be considered an act of genocide.
Two convictions by The International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda stand out as setting a standard for judging human rights violations. Needless to say, the leaders of the Hutu government were charged and convicted with mass murder. However the conviction of the heads of the television and print media for acts of genocide set a precedent for holding media responsible for their role in the killing. Equally important was the conviction of men for genocide inflicted sexually; it was the first time rape was to be considered an act of genocide.
Sources:
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/31/usa.rwanda
http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/rwanda/jigsaw3.pdf
http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/jur-online/PDF/2009/rohr-stephanieHIS.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJAuyIRfYIM
http://www.maximsnews.com/news20081219icctribunalrwanda10812190103.htm
http://theweek.com/article/index/259349/remembering-rwandas-genocide-20-years-later
http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-New-Rwanda-Movie-to-Attack-UN-for-Lack-of-Participation-32515.shtml
http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/rwanda-un-congo-report-insult-history
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2004/mar/31/usa.rwanda
http://www.wcl.american.edu/humright/center/rwanda/jigsaw3.pdf
http://www.uwlax.edu/urc/jur-online/PDF/2009/rohr-stephanieHIS.pdf
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJAuyIRfYIM
http://www.maximsnews.com/news20081219icctribunalrwanda10812190103.htm
http://theweek.com/article/index/259349/remembering-rwandas-genocide-20-years-later
http://news.softpedia.com/news/A-New-Rwanda-Movie-to-Attack-UN-for-Lack-of-Participation-32515.shtml
http://www.rnw.nl/africa/article/rwanda-un-congo-report-insult-history