ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on the rationale behind the United Nations Security Council adherence to consent and the decisions taken in response to the Rwandan genocide. Co-operation with the Rwandan Patriotic Front and the Rwandan government was positive and the deployment of United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda (UNAMIR) progressed well in the lead up to the scheduled installation of the transitional government on 31 December 1993. In the context of the Arusha peace process, consent based, traditional peacekeeping appeared to be an ideal confidence building mechanism. However, when the context of the conflict changed with the assassination of the Rwandan President, UNAMIR's mandate left it unable to respond to the widespread violence. The Rwanda crisis represents a severe failure of the United Nations to adequately respond to one of the most extreme violations of international humanitarian law in the twentieth century.
