In Rwanda 1994, Hutus brutally slaughtered eight hundred thousand Tutsi in merely 100 days, Canadian Lieutenant General Roméo Dallaire, was commander of the United Nations force.
While the genocide began the outside world remained indifferent. Embassies were swiftly evacuated and multinational companies pulled up stakes. The only international presence left (and the only possible sanctuary) was Dalarire’s troops - but they were hamstrung by the UN's inability or refusal to act.

Despite suggestions that Dallaire depart as well - insisted on staying. After nearly a decade of silence, Dallaire recently addressed the events he witnessed in his book "Shake Hands with the Devil. The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda." In early 2004, he returned to Rwanda for the first time since the genocide. That visit is the subject of acclaimed filmmaker Peter Raymont's powerful documentary, Shake Hands with the Devil: The Journey of Roméo Dallaire.

The film recounts the facts of the catastrophe in chilling detail: the undermanned UN force and the conflicting agendas of the countries involved (many only to rescued their own citizens); the inexperience of the peacekeepers, who failed to recognize actual threats (brutal agitators were dismissed as mere "clowns"); and the appalling lack of fortitude and foresight shown by the UN (Dallaire could have stopped much of the slaughter if they had let him attack a weapons depot).

Raymont interviews a string of diplomats and witnesses, including UN Special Envoy Stephen Lewis and BBC reporter Mark Doyle; the latter offers one of the most telling indictments when he says that news networks were more concerned about the O.J. Simpson case than genocide in Africa. Ultimately, though, the focus is on Dallaire himself, still haunted by his inability to prevent the massacre. Many argue he is too hard on himself, but it is Dallaire's refusal to cede responsibility which, even now, makes him so intriguing.