Shake Hands With The Devil

When Lieutenant General Romeo Dallaire received the call to serve as the force commander for the UN mission in Rwanda, he expected to mediate peace between two warring factions. Instead, he found himself in the midst of one of the most horrifying genocides of the 20th century. Shake Hands with the Devil is not just a memoir; it is an unflinching recount of the atrocities that unfolded during the Rwandan Civil War, where over 800,000 Tutsis and moderate Hutus were systematically slaughtered within 100 days.

Dallaire's narration plunges readers into the heart of Rwanda’s chaos, where the thin line between life and death became a daily reality. He and his small contingent of under-resourced international troops faced unimaginable challenges, from insufficient manpower to the constant refusal of essential operational freedom by complacent bureaucrats. The book reveals the profound human spirit amid overwhelming despair and captures the haunting memories that accompanied Dallaire long after he left Rwanda a broken and disillusioned man.

Shake Hands with the Devil stands as a critically acclaimed piece of war literature and a powerful indictment of global apathy in the face of genocide. Dallaire’s insights lay bare the failures of international governance and highlight his call to humanity for swift and unified action in preventing such atrocities from ever occurring again. His poignant reflections resonate deeply: "I know there is a God," he writes, "because in Rwanda I shook hands with the devil. I have seen him, I have smelled him and I have touched him. I know the devil exists and therefore I know there is a God."

This book is a crucial read for anyone interested in modern history, military ethics, international relations, and the psychological impacts of conflict. Dallaire's story is not just about the past; it serves as a lasting reminder of the humanitarian responsibilities we share as a global community.