Duller, Romeo

Romeo Dallaire ( fr. Roméo Dallaire , born June 25, 1946 , Denekamp , Netherlands ) - Canadian senator , writer and retired general; Commander of the UN peacekeeping contingent in Rwanda from 1993 to 1994.

Born June 25, 1946 in the Netherlands . At the end of the same year, his family moved to Canada . In 1964, Duller enlisted in the Canadian Army. In 1970, he graduated from the Royal Military College of Canada with a bachelor of science degree, after which he devoted himself to military service.

In 1993, Duller was appointed head of the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda ( UNAMIR ), whose primary role was to ensure security in the city of Kigali during the signing of a peace treaty between the President of Rwanda, Juvenal Habyarimana, and Paul Kagame , the leader of the Rwandan Patriotic Front . However, after the agreement was signed, the president’s plane was shot down, which led to the beginning of the genocide , which began in April 1994, which killed about 800,000 people, mainly the Tutsi people, as well as moderate Hutus . Despite calls by Duller to increase the number of peacekeepers, the UN decided to reduce their number. Then Duller concentrated on creating special security zones to shelter the persecuted residents, thanks to which he managed to save some of the population.

Upon returning to Canada, he received several promotions, but resigned in 2000. After the Rwandan events, Duller was constantly subject to depression, reproaching himself for the deaths of Rwandans, and even attempted suicide ^[3] . In 2003, he released the book “Handshake with the Devil” ( English Shake Hands with the Devil ), where he outlined his own views on the tragic events of 1994. In 2007, the book was filmed. Since 2005, he is a member of the Senate of Canada from Quebec , is a member of the faction of the Liberal Party of Canada .