Summary
"Shake Hands With The Devil" is Lieutenant-General Roméo Dallaire's harrowing first-hand account of his experiences as Force Commander of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) during the Rwandan genocide in 1994. Tasked with overseeing a fragile peace accord, Dallaire arrived in Rwanda with a small, under-equipped peacekeeping force, only to find himself amidst a rapidly escalating civil war and a systematic campaign of ethnic extermination.
Dallaire's narrative details the complex political landscape of Rwanda, highlighting the deep-seated ethnic tensions between the Hutu and Tutsi populations, the power struggles within the Rwandan government, and the influence of external actors. He recounts his efforts to navigate these treacherous dynamics, working to build trust with key leaders, mediate disputes, and implement the Arusha Peace Agreement.
As the genocide unfolds, Dallaire's role shifts from peacekeeping to humanitarian intervention, as he and his troops struggle to protect civilians, provide aid, and bear witness to the atrocities occurring around them. Faced with limited resources, bureaucratic obstacles, and a lack of support from the international community, Dallaire makes difficult choices, often putting himself and his soldiers at great personal risk.
The book also offers a scathing critique of the United Nations and the international community's failure to respond effectively to the crisis. Dallaire exposes the political machinations, bureaucratic inertia, and self-serving interests that prevented timely intervention, leaving him and his troops isolated and ill-equipped to stop the genocide.
"Shake Hands With The Devil" is a powerful and deeply personal account of one man's struggle to maintain his humanity in the face of unimaginable evil. Dallaire reflects on the psychological toll of witnessing such brutality, his own descent into despair, and his eventual diagnosis of post-traumatic stress disorder. The book serves as a call to action, urging readers to confront the realities of genocide and to work towards a more just and compassionate world.