Drug Gangs Child Soldiers Sex Slaves -- Dallaire's "Shake Hands with the Devil"

"When I was in Brazil, I was told that the life expectancy of a child fighter was two years," Gen. Dallaire said, adding that the drug violence is only expected to rise as long as the upper and middle classes continue to consume the cocaine that is sold in the shantytowns."

Dallaire warns of child soldiers in drug trade -- Rio's drug gang leaders have been buying light weapons easy for children to carry: Similarities to use of children in African wars Isabel Vincent, April 11, 05

[. . . . ] "It's drug violence, and the same kind of child soldiers that I saw in Africa are showing up working for the drug lords who control shantytowns in Brazil," said Gen. Dallaire, who since the publication of his bestselling book, Shake Hands With the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda, has devoted much of his time to studying the fate of child soldiers around the world.

[. . . . . ] Much of Gen. Dallaire's research at Harvard University, . . . .

But lately he has documented startling similarities between the children he has seen working as soldiers in Africa and the impoverished children who work for drug gangs in the shantytowns of Rio de Janeiro, one of the world's most violent cities. According to the Brazilian Institute for Geography and Statistics, violence in the country is three times more deadly than the war in Iraq.

"The similarities are appalling," said Gen. Dallaire, who has researched the fate of some of the thousands of children employed by drug gangs in Rio.

For years, Rio's drug gang leaders have been buying light weapons such as . . . .

[. . . . ] Long concerned with the plight of child soldiers in Africa, Lieutenant-General Romeo Dallaire (Ret.) has recently made a new discovery -- that drug traffickers in Brazil are increasingly recruiting children to the drug wars. [. . . . ]

Search: 300,000 children , drug gang leaders have been buying , sex slaves for rebel armies



Book: Shake Hands With the Devil The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda Written by Romeo Dallaire, ISBN: 0-679-31171-8

On the tenth anniversary of the date that UN peacekeepers landed in Rwanda, Random House Canada is proud to publish the unforgettable first-hand account of the genocide by the man who led the UN mission. Digging deep into shattering memories, General Dallaire has written a powerful story of betrayal, naïveté, racism and international politics. His message is simple and undeniable: “Never again.”

[. . . . ] Excerpt from Shake Hands with the Devil

My story is not a strictly military account nor a clinical, academic study of the breakdown of Rwanda. It is not a simplistic indictment of the many failures of the UN as a force for peace in the world. It is not a story of heroes and villains, although such a work could easily be written. This book is a cri de coeur for the slaughtered thousands, a tribute to the souls hacked apart by machetes because of their supposed difference from those who sought to hang on to power. . . . This book is the account of a few humans who were entrusted with the role of helping others taste the fruits of peace. Instead, we watched as the devil took control of paradise on earth and fed on the blood of the people we were supposed to protect.

[. . . . ] AUTHOR BIOGRAPHY

Lt.-Gen. Roméo Dallaire joined the Canadian army in 1964. Upon his return from serving as Force Commander of the UN mission to Rwanda, he served as Commander of the 1st Canadian Division and Deputy-Commander of the Canadian Army. Promoted to Three-Star General, he was appointed to various senior positions including Assistant Deputy Minister (Human Resources-Military) in the Ministry of Defence. He continues to assist the Canadian Forces and Veterans’ Affairs in matters related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder. . . . .