Operation Support Hope
Encyclopedia
Operation Support Hope was a 1994 United States military effort to provide immediate relief for the refugees
of the Rwandan Genocide
and allow a smooth transition to a full United Nations humanitarian management program. The inhabitants of the camp consisted of approximately two million Hutus, participants in the genocide, and the bystanders, who had fled in anticipation of Tutsi retaliation. On July 22, 1994 President Clinton
announced Operation Support Hope. Two days later, American joint task forces were airlifted to Goma, Zaire
; Kigali, Rwanda; Entebbe, Uganda
; and Mombasa, Kenya. US Air Force liaison officers were assigned to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR)'s air operations cell in Geneva and assigned to joint logistics cells and civil-military operations center
s in the field.
The joint task force was headquartered in Entebbe, with the role of providing a cargo airlift to supplement United Nations efforts. The United States Army
almost immediately set up a major water supply system at the refugee camp in Goma and helped bury the dead. Relief supplies were flown from Europe directly to African locations by C-5
and C-141 cargo jets, which then ferried to Mombasa due to scarcity of fuel in the African interior, and then returned to Europe. Due to limited ramp space, some aircraft were forced into holding patterns; their fuel requirements were met by KC-10 tanker aircraft based at Harare, Zimbabwe.
During the peak of Operation Support Hope in late August, the United States had 2350 service members deployed. About 15,000 tons of humanitarian supplies were delivered by 1200 airlift sorties, about 60% of the total airlift tonnage.
On August 14, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
(UNHCR) requested that all agencies stop airlifting food to Goma. The operation continued supporting other locations in Rwanda. By presidential order, it ceased on September 27 and the last C-5 involved in the airlift left Entebbe on September 29.
One noteworthy accomplishment was a C-5 that flew a 22-hour flight nonstop from Travis Air Force Base
, California to Goma to deliver a water supply system, supported by 3 aerial refuelings.
As part of Operation Support Hope, the American defense contractor Halliburton
earned $6.3million through its engineering and construction subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR).
The operation's code name
, Support Hope, has been criticized as uninspiring, along with a number of recent code names picked from a computer-generated list.
Great Lakes refugee crisis
The Great Lakes refugee crisis is the common name for the situation beginning with the exodus in April 1994 of over two million Rwandans to neighboring countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide...
of the Rwandan Genocide
Rwandan Genocide
The Rwandan Genocide was the 1994 mass murder of an estimated 800,000 people in the small East African nation of Rwanda. Over the course of approximately 100 days through mid-July, over 500,000 people were killed, according to a Human Rights Watch estimate...
and allow a smooth transition to a full United Nations humanitarian management program. The inhabitants of the camp consisted of approximately two million Hutus, participants in the genocide, and the bystanders, who had fled in anticipation of Tutsi retaliation. On July 22, 1994 President Clinton
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson "Bill" Clinton is an American politician who served as the 42nd President of the United States from 1993 to 2001. Inaugurated at age 46, he was the third-youngest president. He took office at the end of the Cold War, and was the first president of the baby boomer generation...
announced Operation Support Hope. Two days later, American joint task forces were airlifted to Goma, Zaire
Goma
Goma is a city in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, on the northern shore of Lake Kivu, next to the Rwandan city of Gisenyi. The lake and the two cities are in the western branch of the Great Rift Valley, and Goma lies only 13 to 18 km due south of the crater of the active...
; Kigali, Rwanda; Entebbe, Uganda
Entebbe
Entebbe is a major town in Central Uganda. Located on a Lake Victoria peninsula, the town was at one time, the seat of government for the Protectorate of Uganda, prior to Independence in 1962...
; and Mombasa, Kenya. US Air Force liaison officers were assigned to United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR)'s air operations cell in Geneva and assigned to joint logistics cells and civil-military operations center
Civil-military operations center
A civil-military operations center or CMOC is a center usually established by a military force for coordinating civil-military operations in an area of operations. It usually serves as a meeting place for military and non military entities involved in stabilization, humanitarian relief and...
s in the field.
The joint task force was headquartered in Entebbe, with the role of providing a cargo airlift to supplement United Nations efforts. The United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
almost immediately set up a major water supply system at the refugee camp in Goma and helped bury the dead. Relief supplies were flown from Europe directly to African locations by C-5
C-5 Galaxy
The Lockheed C-5 Galaxy is a large military transport aircraft built by Lockheed. It provides the United States Air Force with a heavy intercontinental-range strategic airlift capability, one that can carry outsize and oversize cargos, including all air-certifiable cargo. The Galaxy has many...
and C-141 cargo jets, which then ferried to Mombasa due to scarcity of fuel in the African interior, and then returned to Europe. Due to limited ramp space, some aircraft were forced into holding patterns; their fuel requirements were met by KC-10 tanker aircraft based at Harare, Zimbabwe.
During the peak of Operation Support Hope in late August, the United States had 2350 service members deployed. About 15,000 tons of humanitarian supplies were delivered by 1200 airlift sorties, about 60% of the total airlift tonnage.
On August 14, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
The Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees , also known as The UN Refugee Agency is a United Nations agency mandated to protect and support refugees at the request of a government or the UN itself and assists in their voluntary repatriation, local integration or resettlement to...
(UNHCR) requested that all agencies stop airlifting food to Goma. The operation continued supporting other locations in Rwanda. By presidential order, it ceased on September 27 and the last C-5 involved in the airlift left Entebbe on September 29.
One noteworthy accomplishment was a C-5 that flew a 22-hour flight nonstop from Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base
Travis Air Force Base is a United States Air Force air base under the operational control of the Air Mobility Command , located three miles east of the central business district of Fairfield, in Solano County, California, United States. The base is named for Brigadier General Robert F...
, California to Goma to deliver a water supply system, supported by 3 aerial refuelings.
As part of Operation Support Hope, the American defense contractor Halliburton
Halliburton
Halliburton is the world's second largest oilfield services corporation with operations in more than 70 countries. It has hundreds of subsidiaries, affiliates, branches, brands and divisions worldwide and employs over 50,000 people....
earned $6.3million through its engineering and construction subsidiary Kellogg Brown & Root (KBR).
The operation's code name
Code name
A code name or cryptonym is a word or name used clandestinely to refer to another name or word. Code names are often used for military purposes, or in espionage...
, Support Hope, has been criticized as uninspiring, along with a number of recent code names picked from a computer-generated list.
See also
- Operation Restore Hope, a humanitarian mission to SomaliaSomaliaSomalia , officially the Somali Republic and formerly known as the Somali Democratic Republic under Socialist rule, is a country located in the Horn of Africa. Since the outbreak of the Somali Civil War in 1991 there has been no central government control over most of the country's territory...
in 1992. - Great Lakes refugee crisisGreat Lakes refugee crisisThe Great Lakes refugee crisis is the common name for the situation beginning with the exodus in April 1994 of over two million Rwandans to neighboring countries of the Great Lakes region of Africa in the aftermath of the Rwandan Genocide...