Canadian senator and former UN Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire was honoured Wednesday by the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington for his efforts to save lives during the genocide in Rwanda two decades ago.
Dallaire, now a Canadian Senator, was conferred the museum鈥檚 highest honour, the Elie Wiesel Award, at a tribute dinner for 鈥渉is valiant attempts to warn the world and prevent the 1994 Rwandan genocide,鈥� according to a notice on the museum鈥檚 website.
Dallaire served as commander of the ill-fated UN peacekeeping mission to the African country prior to and during the 1994, and watched helplessly as mass killings took place.
鈥淕eneral Dallaire did his utmost to warn the United Nations of the potential outbreak of large-scale ethnic violence,鈥� the museum said. 鈥淓ven when his warnings went unheeded, he refused to give in to international apathy. He continually called for use of force, and although unable to stop the atrocities, he and his unit nevertheless managed to protect more than 30,000 lives.鈥�
Dallaire has spoken publicly in the past about his struggle with depression and Post-Traumatic Stress disorder upon his return from Rwanda, where 800,000 people were killed over a 100-day period.
Dallaire called the award an 鈥渆ncouragement鈥� but said collectively, 鈥渨e failed鈥� the victims of the genocide in Rwanda.
鈥淭here鈥檚 just no way of saying 鈥業 did the best I could,鈥� and carry on,鈥� Dallaire said. 鈥淵ou can鈥檛 do that with 800,000 bodies floating around.鈥�
Even with the passing of time, Dallaire said Rwanda still haunts him.
鈥淏ecause you lived it, you still essentially can relive it,鈥� he said. "There are mornings I wake up and I swear, I鈥檓 in the middle of the damn genocide.鈥�
Appointed to the Senate in 2005, Dallaire continues to advocate for genocide prevention and for the eradication of child soldiers.
As a Senator, he has visited the troubled region of Darfur as a member of a special advisory team.
Dallaire was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 2002. He has also received the inaugural Aegis Award for Genocide Prevention.
His book, entitled 鈥淪hake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda,鈥� was awarded the Governor General鈥檚 Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004.
Named after a Jewish-American Nobel Peace Prize recipient, the Elie Wiesel Award recognizes prominent individuals who have 鈥渁dvanced the Museum鈥檚 vision of a world where people confront hatred, prevent genocide, and promote human dignity,鈥� according to the museum鈥檚 website. It was established in 2011.
