International neglect in the Rwandan genocide; lessons missed in Somalia that would have been prevented the Mogadishu syndrome

Abstract

This review which has three objectives is aimed at negating the myth that the ‘shadow of Somalia’ was responsible for the international neglect in Rwanda which enabled the 1994 Genocide. The first objective is to discuss the differences in the methodology of operations between the various peace keeping actors and identify the challenges that occurred during the peace keeping operations in Somalia. The second objective is to highlight some of the lessons that would have been learnt from the differences in operational tactics and strategies, and maybe the “syndrome of Mogadishu” would not have happened which spilled over to the Rwandan neglect. The third objective is to use a normative approach to highlight the importance of military interventions as an important component of humanitarianism in cases such as Rwanda, discussing theoretical concepts to develop effective approaches to this humanitarian need. This literature review is a product of the synthesis of information from various peer-reviewed publications from academic databases. The events that happened in Somalia will be critically analyzed to demonstrate the actual cause of the “shadow of Somalia.” Humanitarian intervention is then recommended to be implemented when war or armed conflict of genocidal proportion occurs in a sovereign state.