Lieutenant-General The Honourable Romeo Dallaire (ret) OC CMM GOQ MSC CD has been appointed the inaugural Chair for Peace at Massey College in the University of Toronto.
General Dallaire rose to international acclaim for his heroic efforts as United Nations Peacekeeping Force Commander in Rwanda during the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. Despite incontrovertible evidence of the impending crisis and his pleas to the United Nations, General Dallaire was denied the necessary resources to stop the genocide. Other than Canada, all Western nations withdrew their troops once the killing began, abandoning General Dallaire, his few remaining soldiers, and millions of Rwandan women, men, and children.
Disobeying direct orders to withdraw, General Dallaire remained in Rwanda throughout the horrific genocide in which 800,000 Tutsi were massacred in 100 days. He – along with 12 Canadian soldiers, a few hundred Ghanian and Tunisian soldiers, and the Médcines Sans Frontiers missions – led by Dr. James Orbinski, now Principal of Massey College – remained to assist victims where possible and to bear witness to the disaster the rest of the world turned away from. Using only the bluff of the blue UN flag and steely determination, they saved more than 30,000 lives.
General Dallaire’s courage and leadership during this mission earned him the Order of Canada, the Meritorious Service Cross, the United States Legion of Merit, the Aegis Award on Genocide Prevention, and the affection and admiration of people around the globe.
In the 30 years since, General Dallaire has been a tireless and outspoken advocate for peace. Reuniting to bring the lessons of Rwanda to Massey College, Dr. Orbinski and General Dallaire “look forward to nurturing learning, leadership, and civil discourse for the public good on issues of peace.” Said Principal Orbinski, “Today, more than any other time in the 21st century, peace is tenuous, and urgent ideas and initiatives around peace are so desperately needed.”
