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Easy Rider
Location: Moscow on the Ohio
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I have read all the posts in this thread in order to learn something about the Rwanda confilict. The statement that the U.S. is the largest arms supplier in the world has been brought up several times so I did some searches in order to find out what we supplied there. Apparently the U.S. was not heavily involved in selling arms to Rwanda but rather they came from France, Egypt and South Africa mostly.
Quote:
Arming Rwanda
The influx of weapons from foreign sources to the Rwandese government as well as to the RPF contributed significantly to the civil war during 1990-1994, as well as to the massacres in 1994. Some foreign governments and other suppliers were ready to supply arms.
The major sources for this Annex on the supply of arms to Rwanda are the Human Rights Watch/ Arms Project, which issued a comprehensive report on Rwanda in January 1994 and a complementary report in May 1995, and the Human Rights Watch report of December 1994. The reports substantiate their findings with different kinds of evidence. The content of these reports has been discussed with a number of respected researchers, who themselves have found evidence supporting most of the findings therein.
Rwanda government
When the war began in 1990, Rwanda had an army of some 5,000 men (Prunier, 1995). They were equipped with light arms, including Belgian-made FAL, German-made G-3 and Kalashnikov automatic rifles manufactured by China or countries of the former Eastern Bloc. The army's weaponry included eight 81mm mortars, six 57mm anti-tank guns, French-made 83mm Blindicide rocket launchers, 12 AML-60 armoured cars and 16 M-3 armoured personnel carriers (International Institute for Strategic Studies, 1990).
During the war, the Rwandese armed forces expanded, and the arsenal of weaponry increased and became more sophisticated. France, Egypt and South Africa supplied the majority of the weapons. According to the Human Rights Watch/Arms Project, Egypt was the key arms supplier and France the major military supporter.
A major weapons deal was made in March 1992 when Egypt sold US$6 million worth of arms to Rwanda. The deal was guaranteed by the French bank, Crédit Lyonnais. It included a wide range of light arms, infantry support weapons and ammunition.
France has played an important role in arming and supporting Rwanda. Apart from equipment such as mortars, light artillery, guns, armoured vehicles and even helicopters, France also provided spare parts, technical assistance and military training. The Arms Project has further documented rather large arms supplies coming from South Africa (light arms, machine-guns, grenade launchers and ammunition, valued at US$5.9 million), and US$2.3 million worth of military equipment sold by the US to Rwanda.
Belgium was traditionally Rwanda's main supplier of assistance and training. However, after the civil war started in October 1990, Belgium withdrew. France, in contrast, continued its military role, and provided weapons, munitions and advisors. France furthermore deployed troops in Rwanda.
The weapons obtained by the Rwandese government did not go only to the army. Already in 1991, a programme was started by the government to distribute a gun for every unit of 10 households.
At the beginning of the war, France sent 300 soldiers to Rwanda. Part of this force was later withdrawn, but 170 soldiers remained stationed in the country. Immediately after the RPF launched its offensive on 8 February 1993, the number of French soldiers increased to some 670. Two companies were deployed on the main roads north of the capital, and two were posted in strategic positions in Kigali, including the airport.
While the French insisted that their troops were deployed for the purpose of protecting French nationals only, the Arms Project has witnessed first hand French military activities tantamount to direct participation in the war, e.g. French soldiers manning checkpoints just north of Kigali. In addition to combat troops, France sent military advisors to provide training in, among other things, combat skills and commando operations, to Rwandese troops.
In December 1993, following deployment of the UN forces, all French troops were withdrawn.
Arming Rwanda
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