Dallaire resigns from Senate over international humanitarian demands

OTTAWA—Liberal Senator Romeo Dallaire, who led an ill-fated UN mission in Rwanda during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi, is stepping down from the Senate because of international humanitarian demands. “I feel I have done my job here and I feel I have another job that is growing in importance,” Dallaire said. He said neither his own depression and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) caused by his experience in the Genocide against the Tutsi nor his frustration with the Senate, contributed to his decision. “No, the PTSD was not a factor in my resignation. I am leaving one job because I have a more demanding job,” he said, describing work with child soldiers, investigating crimes against humanity and working with international institutes on preventing genocide. Dallaire is author of two best-selling books. Shake Hands with the Devil, his account of his experiences in Rwanda, won the Governor General’s Literary Award for Non-Fiction in 2004 and became the basis for an Emmy Award-winning documentary and a motion picture.