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Boutros Boutros-Ghali
UN Secretary-General During Rwanda Genocide
Secretary-General of the United Nations from 1992 to 1996 who failed to mobilize an international response during the 1994 Rwanda genocide in which approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in 100 days
Overview
Boutros Boutros-Ghali (1922-2016) was an Egyptian diplomat who served as the sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations from January 1992 to December 1996. He held office during the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which Hutu extremists organized the systematic murder of approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu between April 7 and mid-July 1994. Despite receiving explicit warnings from UNAMIR Force Commander Romeo Dallaire, including a January 1994 fax describing planned "extermination" of Tutsis and requesting permission to seize weapons caches, the UN Secretariat under Boutros-Ghali instructed Dallaire not to act and instead to share the intelligence with the Rwandan government, elements of which were planning the genocide. After the genocide began on April 7, 1994, the UN Security Council, with Boutros-Ghali Secretariat providing assessments, voted on April 21 to reduce UNAMIR from 2,548 troops to just 270, effectively abandoning Rwanda during the killing. Boutros-Ghali later acknowledged that the UN failed Rwanda and called it his "greatest failure." Before becoming Secretary-General, as Egyptian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs in the 1970s and 1980s, Boutros-Ghali had facilitated arms deals between France and Rwanda, including weapons sales to the Habyarimana regime that were later used during the genocide. He was also criticized for the UN failure to prevent the Srebrenica massacre in July 1995. The United States vetoed his bid for a second term in 1996, the only time a sitting Secretary-General was denied reelection.
Key Affiliations
Controversies & Concerns
Failed to mobilize an international response during the 1994 Rwanda genocide in which approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu were killed in 100 days
UN Secretariat under his leadership instructed UNAMIR Commander Dallaire not to act on intelligence warning of planned extermination and to share the information with the Rwandan government instead
The UN Security Council reduced UNAMIR from 2,548 to 270 troops on April 21, 1994, two weeks into the genocide, based on assessments from his Secretariat
As Egyptian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, facilitated arms deals between France and the Habyarimana regime in Rwanda; those weapons were later used during the genocide
Oversaw the UN during the Srebrenica massacre of July 1995 in which Bosnian Serb forces killed over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys in a UN-declared "safe area"
The United States vetoed his bid for a second term in 1996, the only time a sitting Secretary-General was denied reelection
Later acknowledged that Rwanda was his "greatest failure" and that the UN had failed the Rwandan people
Related Investigations (1)
Known Associates & Connections
Kofi Annan
Successor as UN Secretary-General who as Undersecretary-General for Peacekeeping had direct responsibility for UNAMIR during the genocide
Romeo Dallaire
UNAMIR Force Commander who sent the genocide fax warning and pleaded for reinforcements that were denied under Boutros-Ghali leadership
Sources & Documentation
3 documented sources from official records, investigations, and reports
Dallaire, R. - Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda (Random House)(2003)
United Nations: Report of the Independent Inquiry into the Actions of the United Nations During the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda(1999-12-15)
Melvern, L. - A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda Genocide (Zed Books)(2000)
Personal Information
- Born
- 1922-11-14
- Birthplace
- Cairo, Egypt
Education
- •Cairo University (Law Degree)
- •University of Paris (PhD in International Law, 1949)
Key Timeline
1922-11-14
Born in Cairo, Egypt
1977
Becomes Egyptian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs; facilitates Franco-Rwandan arms deals during this period
1992-01-01
Takes office as sixth Secretary-General of the United Nations
1994-01-11
UNAMIR Commander Romeo Dallaire sends his "genocide fax" warning of planned Tutsi extermination and requesting permission to seize weapons; UN Secretariat denies the request
1994-04-07
Rwanda genocide begins following the assassination of President Habyarimana; killing of Tutsi and moderate Hutu begins within hours
1994-04-21
UN Security Council votes to reduce UNAMIR from 2,548 to 270 troops, effectively abandoning Rwanda during the genocide
1994-07
RPF takes Kigali, ending the genocide after approximately 800,000 Tutsi and moderate Hutu have been killed in 100 days
1995-07-11
Srebrenica massacre begins in a UN-declared "safe area"; over 8,000 Bosniak men and boys are killed by Bosnian Serb forces
1996-11-19
United States vetoes his bid for a second term as Secretary-General; the only sitting SG denied reelection
2016-02-16
Dies in Cairo at age 93