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

By Linda Melvern

Events in Rwanda in 1994 mark a landmark in the history of modern genocide. Up to one million people were killed in a planned public and political campaign. In the face of indisputable evidence, the Security Council of the United Nations failed to respond.

In this classic of investigative journalism, Linda Melvern tells the compelling story of what happened. She holds governments to account, showing how individuals could have prevented what was happening and didn't do so. The book also reveals the unrecognised heroism of those who stayed on during the genocide, volunteer peacekeepers and those who ran emergency medical care.

Fifteen years on, this new edition examines the ongoing impact of the 1948 Genocide Convention and the shock waves Rwanda caused around the world. Based on fresh interviews with key players and newly-released documents, A People Betrayed is a shocking indictment of the way Rwanda is and was forgotten and how today it is remembered in the West.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Zed Books
• Release date: Apr 10, 2014
• ISBN: 9781783602704

Linda Melvern

Linda Melvern is a British investigative journalist. For several years she worked for The Sunday Times (UK), and was recruited from the newsroom to join the investigative Insight Team. Since leaving newspapers she has written six books of non-fiction and has published in the British press and academic journals. For twenty-five years she has research and written extensively about the circumstances of the 1994 genocide in Rwanda. A consultant to the Military One prosecution team at the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, part of her archive of documents was used to show the planning, the financing and progress of the crime. She is the author of A People Betrayed: The Role of the West in Rwanda's Genocide, and Conspiracy to Murder.

Reviews for A People Betrayed

[mrcheevus · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

I bought this at a genocide memorial in Kigali. It is a very frank discussion about how the West and the UN failed Rwanda in the genocide, recounting the events leading up to the disaster and the entire story of the slaughter of 1 million people in 3 short months in the final decade of the 20th Century.

[zedbooks-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

‘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'The best overall account of the background to the genocide, and the failure to prevent it, is Linda Melvern's A People Betrayed…. She discovered so much that we did not know, and her book remains one of the best sources available.' - Lt. Gen Romeo Dallaire, Force Commander United Nations Assistance Mission in Rwanda, UNAMIR. October 1993-August 1994 and author of Shake Hands with the Devil: The Failure of Humanity in Rwanda