A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide [Paperback]

Linda Melvern (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 185649831X | ISBN-13: 978-1856498319 | Publication Date: November 18, 2000

In 1994 up to one million people were killed in Rwanda in a deliberate, public and political campaign. For five years, Linda Melvern has worked on the story of this great crime, and this book, a classic piece of investigative journalism, is the result. The new and startling information this book contains has the making of an international scandal. Melvern reveals how the great powers failed to heed the warnings of the coming catastrophe, andrefused to recognize the genocide when it began, ignoring obligations under international law, specifically the genocide convention. A set of secret documents leaked to the author from within the Security Council proves that the circumstances of the genocide were suppressed or ignored.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In her excellent new work, investigative journalist Melvern (formerly of the Sunday Times of London) carefully reveals how the Security Council, the United Nations, the Belgians, the French and the Americans, in particular, failed to act in the face of a carefully executed plan to murder one million Tutsis and moderate Hutus in Rwanda in 1994. Melvern uncovers the historical roots of the supposed ethnic differences between the Hutu and Tutsi and what she identifies as the real cause of the genocide: the Rwandan government's corrupt oligarchy pilfered the treasury, fomented violence and planned the extermination of the Tutsis simply to hold on to power. She writes that a considerable amount of the $216 million in loans to Rwanda's government from international institutions like the World Bank and the IMF went to the purchase of arms, and that before the genocide, the Egyptians and the French helped arm the Hutu extremists. After the genocide, horrifying articles about the resulting refugee crisis caused by an exodus of two million Rwandans prompted foreign governments to spend $1 million a day to help the refugees. Melvern points out that Rom?o Dallaire, the courageous head of the UN mission in Rwanda who acted heroically in the face of little support, had said all along that a small increase in troops by 2,500 to 5,000 would have prevented the deaths of tens of thousands. Melvern gives a shocking portrait of calculated mass murder and Western inaction. Readers who were drawn to Philip Gourevitch's We Wish to Inform You That Tomorrow We Will Be Killed with Our Families or those with a special interest in ethnic strife, genocide or African affairs will want to read this disturbing account. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

“...a wide-ranging account of the actions and inactions of shady arms dealers, inept bureaucrats, and cowardly politicians...” —The Washington Monthly

“...Melvern offers a vivid picture of the role of Western nations in abetting, ignoring and allowing Rwanda's genocide.” —New York Times Book Review

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Zed Books (November 18, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 185649831X
• ISBN-13: 978-1856498319
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.1 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #370,656 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > History > Africa > Rwanda
  • #81 in Books > History > Africa > East Africa

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Is anyone interested in Rwanda?, January 22, 2002

By 

"exun" (Netherlands) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide (Paperback)

Probably, the story of Rwandan genocide is the most shocking international scandal of the post World War II era. The book is a brilliant reconstruction of that time, written with amazing clarity and based on well established facts.
In three months of 1994 about one million people was killed in organised genocide. The killing rate was five times faster than that achieved by the Nazis during WWII holocaust. But on the contrary to the Nazis, the Rwandan genocide happened in the full light of the international media, with the full knowledge of the UN Security Council and the Western governments.
Linda Melvern describes and documents in detail the role of the West in the genocide.
The story is so bad that almost all of the publishers in the UK refused to publish this book with comments like "the story is really too awful" or "I cannot see people forking out money to read about such an unspeakable subject..."

Do you think you can fork out some money for the truth? I think this book is certainly worth any money.

22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A People Betrayed, November 13, 2000

By 

Zed Books (London) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide (Paperback)

`Quite extraordinary: precise, and yet overwhelming; a fine balance in the face of depravity... Linda Melvern has written an extraordinary account of the Rwanda genocide, and the shocking failure of the West to lift a finger... What Melvern demonstrates so powerfully is that where Western geopolitical interests are absent, Western morality and `civilised' concerns are nowhere to be found ... A brave and compelling book.' - Professor Richard Falk, Center of International Studies, Princeton University

`This is a devastating account of lies, deceit, complacency and tragic neglect.... All we can hope is that this fine book will provide lessons for the future, because it provides all of us who lobby and campaign for early warning systems and conflict prevention with invaluable evidence. Looking around the world, you wonder what has been learnt since 1994. Linda Melvern deserves our thanks for investing so much in breaking the silence and revealing the truth.' - Glenys Kinnock, MEP; Chair, Forum on Early Warning And Early Response (FEWER)

'What happened in Rwanda is one of the most appalling, heartbreaking tragedies that the world has known. Why did it occur? And what more could have been done to prevent it? This serious, very thorough attempt to answer those questions will be essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand what happened. This is a powerful and important book.' - The Right Reverend Richard Harries, Bishop of Oxford

`A riveting and well-researched account of the horrendous crimes committed in Rwanda while an indifferent world, to its shame, looked the other way. There are grim lessons here for everyone, from international statesmen and politicians to responsible citizens and decent human beings everywhere' - Dame Margaret Anstee

'This is a very important book. It is a book that a large number of people should read....what is good about the book is that it shows the big picture. It shows the failure that actually took place. It tells the story of what really happened. An outstandingly good book... ...compelling.....its content is exceptional.' - Colin Keating, Secretary for Justice, New Zealand Ministry of Justice, and former New Zealand Ambassador to the UN

4.0 out of 5 stars very accurate information, October 19, 2009

By 

Crispy (Miami, FL, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide (Paperback)

Compared to Romeo Dellaire's "Shaking hands with the devil", which is a kind of diary of the facts occured in Rwanda, Melvern's workpiece is not as thorough as this one. Nevertheless, "A people betrayed..." is such an accurate piece of investigation which depicts the reality of the genocide and is backed by lots of precise documentation.