- Summary
- In 1994 a group of Australian UN peacekeepers, made up ofsoldiers and army medical personnel, was sent to Rwanda under a United Nations mandate to help restore order tothe war-torn country. These Australians would be exposed to a lack of humanity they were not prepared for and found hard to fathom. On 22nd April 1995, the daily horror and tragedy they hadwitnessed escalated out of control. At a displacedpersons' camp in Kibeho, in full view of the Australian soldiers, over 4,000 unarmed men, women and children died in a hail of bullets, grenades and machete blades at the hands of the Rwandan Patriotic Army. Constrained by the UN peacekeeping Rules of Engagement, these Australians could only watch helplessly and try to assist the woundedunder the gaze of the trigger-happy killers. Pure Massacre is a record of what happened during this peacekeeping mission. Kevin "Irish" O'Halloran, a PlatoonSergeant at the time, stresses the weaknesses of the UNcharter and what happens when "good men do nothing". Hepulls together the perspectives of those Australian soldiers who served in Rwanda at this time. Pure Massacregives a new and personal voice to the Kibeho Massacre. It takes a special type of bravery, discipline andcompassion to do what these soldiers did. Little did they know, when the second tour of Rwanda was over, that they would be the highest decorated UN peacekeeping contingent since the Korean War. For many, their service in Rwanda would come with a personal toll. No Australians died during and immediately after the massacre at Kibeho, but as Pure Massacre testifies, the suffering and tragedy is embedded in their memories.
- Series
- Australian Army history series ; 01
Australian Army history series ; 01.
- Format
- Book
- Author/Creator
- O'Halloran, Kevin, author.
- Published
- Newport, N.S.W. : Big Sky Publishing, 2012
- Locale
- Rwanda
Australia
- Notes
-
Includes bibliographical references and index.
