Conspiracy to Murder

Description

"In April 1994 up to a million people were slaughtered in Rwanda during a murderous campaign of horrifying efficiency. The ferocity of the killing and the cruelty inflicted on defenseless people has no comparison in modern times." "Conspiracy to Murder is the story of how that genocide was planned. It reveals how, from as early as 1990, the political, military ad administrative leadership of Rwanda became involved in planning the complete extermination of the Tutsi population. A vicious hate campaign filled the media, urging Hutus to kill; a network of roadblocks was devised to prevent any escape; civil-defence groups were established throughout the country, with eventually every third Hutu being armed; half a million machetes and other agricultural tools were imported, and 85 tons of munitions distributed country-wide, in the year leading up to the genocide." "In an outstanding example of investigative journalism, Linda Melvern reveals the full story behind the conspiracy, detailing the involvement of world governments whose responses ranged from complicity to apathy. She shows how the killers outmanoeuvred the Security Council and led UN peacekeepers into a deadly trap; how the French military trained the killers and how their "humanitarian intervention" in June 1994 enabled many of those killers to escape justice; how the John Major government ignored warnings and then proceeded to mislead to British Parliament about what was really happening; how the US is still withholding wiretap and satellite evidence showing that the genocide had begun; and how significant was the knowledge of the then Secretary General Boutros Boutros-Ghali." "The author has had exclusive access to a wealth of fresh sources, including an extraordinary collection of documents abandoned by the conspirators when they fled Rwanda and a full confession from the prime minister in the government that presided over the genocide. Written especially for the tenth anniversary year, Conspiracy to Murder is a shocking indictment of those who knew what was happening and chose not to intervene. It makes the case for an urgent, enquiry into the scandalous behaviour of both the US and the UK in a crime that could and should have been prevented."--Jacket.

Description

"Conspiracy to Murder is an account of the most appalling event of the late 20th century: the Rwandan genocide of 1994. Linda Melvern's indictment of almost all the key figures and institutions involved only serves to sharpen the horror of a tragedy that could have been avoided. Fully updated, this new edition includes an in-depth account of the genocide trials at the International Criminal Tribunal."--Book jacket.

First Sentence

On 1 May, 1998, an immaculately dressed man in a blue suit, with a neatly trimmed beard and spectacles, stood in a court room to plead guilty to genocide.

Subjects

Other Editions

• Conspiracy to murder: the Rwandan genocideVerso2004-01-01
• Conspiracy to MurderPaperbackVerso2006-04-15