What happened to the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda during the Rwandan genocide?

During the Rwandan genocide, the United Nations Assistance Mission for Rwanda (UNAMIR) faced a catastrophic reduction in capacity. Initially established as a lightly armed force of approximately 2,500 troops to oversee a peace agreement, the mission was severely compromised following the April 1994 murder of 10 Belgian peacekeepers who had been protecting the Rwandan prime minister.12

In response to this violence, the United Nations Security Council voted to reduce the size of the UNAMIR force by 90 percent. This left the mission commander, Roméo Dallaire, struggling to protect civilians with a meager, understrength force. Although Dallaire pleaded for reinforcements, his requests were unsuccessful. By the time the UN eventually voted to bolster the mission the following month, the genocide was already well underway. Ultimately, more than 800,000 people were murdered before the violence subsided in July 1994.12