Books Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad Book by Michela Wrong

Do Not Disturb: The Story of a Political Murder and an African Regime Gone Bad is a 2021 investigative book by British journalist Michela Wrong that exposes the dark side of Rwanda’s post-genocide regime under President Paul Kagame. The book centers on the 2014 assassination of Patrick Karegeya, a Rwandan defector and former head of external intelligence, who was found murdered in a hotel room in South Africa—a killing the Rwandan government denied responsibility for but which the author links to Kagame’s authoritarian rule.

Michela Wrong draws on her extensive experience reporting on Africa to challenge the dominant narrative praising Rwanda as a model of stability and economic growth after the 1994 genocide. She argues that behind this façade lies a regime marked by violence, intimidation, and political repression. The book provides a detailed political history of Rwanda’s Great Lakes region, focusing on how the original rebel movement that toppled the genocidal regime fragmented, with Kagame emerging as a ruthless leader who silenced former comrades and critics alike.

Do Not Disturb offers a richly sourced account with testimonies from key participants, revealing a regime dependent on surveillance and eliminating dissent. It explores how Kagame’s government has exerted influence and conducted extrajudicial killings beyond Rwanda’s borders, unsettling diplomatic relations, particularly with South Africa following Karegeya’s murder.

Critically acclaimed and shortlisted for the Orwell Prize in 2022, the book has been praised for its meticulous research and courageous exposé of a modern African dictatorship cloaked in a veneer of success and Western approval. Reviewers highlight its gripping narrative style and probing questions about Rwanda’s recent history and current political realities.

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Summary:
Wrong’s book is both a political thriller and a definitive history of Rwanda’s complex and often brutal post-genocide politics. By tracing the fate of Patrick Karegeya and his once-close ties with Kagame, it reveals how Rwanda’s celebrated transformation has come at a grave human cost. The title’s metaphor—the “Do Not Disturb” sign on a hotel door—symbolizes the impunity with which Kagame’s regime operates, defying scrutiny from the international community.

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