I think we must consider that senior officers sent off on UN assignments still remain, quite firmly, under Ottawa's thumb. Dallaire, like most senior officers on international tasks, was not short of people who gave him advice or orders - some were in/around Kigali (Boo Boo et al), some were in New York (Annan and Baril) and there were plenty in Ottawa - in NDHQ - Fort Fumble, Foreign Affairs - Festung Pearson and in the PCO/PMO - Langevin Block, too.
Dallaire also enjoyed the free advice of Rwandans, Burundians, other assorted neighbours, NGO officials and other assorted free-loaders and the international press corps - especially the French speaking press.
I believe that Dallaire had urgent consultations with Ottawa (early in Apr 94) in which he explained that:
"¢ A real genocide was about to begin;
"¢ Annan and Baril were ineffective, at best;
"¢ Thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of lives could be saved by dispatching a few hundred Canadian paratroopers - right away - ready and able to fight to restore order, as the Belgians were unable to do, because of their national ROEs and the UN's mandate.
I have little doubt that, in April 1994, a few hundred Canadian paratroopers could have been warned, prepared and loaded on to chartered commercial jets in Ottawa - within a matter of days, back then. I have no doubt that one good, solid Canadian infantry lieutenant colonel with those few hundred maroon (not baby blue) beret wearing soldiers could have rescued Rwanda, and Dallaire.
Such an action would have required leaders in Ottawa; let me see, Jean Chrétien was PM, André Oulette was Foreign Minister, David Collenette was Defence Minister and Jocelyne Bourgon was Clerk of the Privy Council; now there's a team which filled us all with confidence, no?
Romeo Dallaire was chosen for the Rwanda mission for, largely, political (linguistic) reasons; Ottawa need a Francophone to counter the just retired, immensely popular and potential Tory: Lewis Mackenzie. General Dallaire was, still is, a fine man, a good (albeit, in 93/94, an internationally inexperienced) soldier and leader, with a positive talent for education and training. He was dumped into the sh!t by an uncaring Government of Canada and was kept there by that government and an incompetent United Nations. "Rescueâ ? was possible, even practical; rescue would have been the right thing but the leaders in Ottawa were then, as now, incapable of doing the right thing.