What do you think?
Rate this book
Against a Tide of Evil: How One Man Became the Whistleblower to the First Mass Murder Ofthe Twenty-First Century
The former head of the United Nations in Sudan reveals for the first time the shocking depths of evil plumbed by those in Khartoum who designed and orchestrated 'the final solution in Darfur' Against A Tide of Evil How One Man Became the Whistleblower to the First Mass Murder of the Twenty-First Century By Dr. Mukesh Kapila When darkness stalked the plains of Africa one man stood alone to face the evil . . . In this no-holds-barred account, the former head of the United Nations in Sudan reveals for the first time the shocking depths of evil plumbed by those who designed and orchestrated 'the final solution' in Darfur. A veteran of humanitarian crisis and ethnic cleansing in Iraq, Rwanda, Srebrenica, Afghanistan and Sierra Leone, Dr Mukesh Kapila arrived in Sudan in March 2003 having made a promise to himself that if he were ever in a position to stop the mass-killers, they would never triumph on his watch. Against a Tide of Evil is a strident and passionate cri de coeur. It is the deeply personal account of one man driven to extreme action by the unwillingness of those in power to stop mass murder. It explores what empowers a man like Mukesh Kapila to stand up and be counted, and to act alone in the face of global indifference and venality. Kapila's story reads like a knife-edge international thriller as he uses all the powers at his disposal to bring to justice those responsible for the first mass murder of the twenty-first century - the Darfur genocide - and is finally forced to risk all and break every rule to do so.
298 pages, Paperback
First published March 14, 2013
19 people are currently reading
230 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
May 6, 2013
This memoir of Kapila's time as head of the UN in Sudan is brutal and tragic. It's also suspenseful and I stayed up late for several nights reading to see what would happen next. If you want to learn what happened in Darfur through the story of one man's involvement in the horrible mess, you'll enjoy this book. I was left, though, still wondering why it all happened. From this account, it seems the government in Khartoum decided to kill thousands of people and drive them from their homes simply because they were black, which is possible, but I suspect there must also have been political or economic reasons.
I finished the book disgusted with the world's response to Darfur -- and especially with the United Nations. It left me puzzling over an organizational culture that apparently thought the right thing to do about the Khartoum-sponsored mass murders and mass rapes and mass displacements in Darfur was to keep quiet to avoid offending Khartoum. I can't see how this could ever be justified, but then I'm a journalist and therefore biased toward making things public. In any case, I'm glad Kapila broke the code and alerted the press to what was going on.
Unfortunately, it sounds like all the publicity -- and the UN Security Council action and International Criminal Court indictments of Khartoum leaders -- that followed hasn't stopped the killing in Sudan. Maybe all the people involved in raising awareness about Khartoum's crimes and providing succor for Khartoum's victims should instead (or also) be raising money to quietly hire a Blackwater-like mercenary military contractor to enforce no-fly zones in the parts of Sudan that Khartoum continues to brutalize. And perhaps provide arms and training to the anti-Khartoum forces in those areas so they can defend themselves. Sure, it'd be illegal, but who's going to oppose it with more than just angry rhetoric?
I finished the book disgusted with the world's response to Darfur -- and especially with the United Nations. It left me puzzling over an organizational culture that apparently thought the right thing to do about the Khartoum-sponsored mass murders and mass rapes and mass displacements in Darfur was to keep quiet to avoid offending Khartoum. I can't see how this could ever be justified, but then I'm a journalist and therefore biased toward making things public. In any case, I'm glad Kapila broke the code and alerted the press to what was going on.
Unfortunately, it sounds like all the publicity -- and the UN Security Council action and International Criminal Court indictments of Khartoum leaders -- that followed hasn't stopped the killing in Sudan. Maybe all the people involved in raising awareness about Khartoum's crimes and providing succor for Khartoum's victims should instead (or also) be raising money to quietly hire a Blackwater-like mercenary military contractor to enforce no-fly zones in the parts of Sudan that Khartoum continues to brutalize. And perhaps provide arms and training to the anti-Khartoum forces in those areas so they can defend themselves. Sure, it'd be illegal, but who's going to oppose it with more than just angry rhetoric?
November 13, 2013
Mukesh is a truly extraordinary man, and this is a truly extraordinary book. It demands a truly extraordinary response, not just in Darfur and Nuba, but wherever rights are curtailed, people are exploited, and the violent reign. An extraordinary response from those who have the power to bring these abuses to an end. May they also read his words.
Yet I have mixed feelings, for this is a deeply disturbing yet also an intensely annoying read. So let's get the annoying out of the way. First, the sensationalist title (and the subtitle....oh yes, and the blurb on the front and back covers). And it isn’t helped by the vaguely ridiculous prologue - an attempted assassination with epoxy resin? Hard to swallow!
Mukesh (or more likely his ghost writer) employs extensive use of dialogue with his family, friends and foes to tell his story - a highly effective literary device that creates a compelling immediacy. But in doing so, he fatally compromises this important book. For in attempting to accurately recreate conversations from the past - an utterly unrealistic exercise - it is inevitable that much of the book is simply fabricated. Quite simply, this is journalism, not history. And once you begin to question the historical accuracy of the dialogue, the rest looks suspect. Which is why I am so annoyed. For the appalling neglect of Darfur by the so-called ’international community’ cost hundreds of thousands of lives, with millions more violently displaced, raped, and terrorised. There is little enough to be proud of in relation to Darfur, and the heroic efforts of those few who fought bravely for attention and action must be honoured and celebrated. It is the truth that must be told and heard, not a ’novel based on a true story’.
My final reason for annoyance is the somewhat artificial simplicity of the story. Every action is right or wrong. There is little room for ambiguity or complexity. People fall simply into three categories; family, friend or foe. There are no acquaintances. In his world, you are either deliberately kept in the dark (family), utterly loyal friends (most of his closest staff in Khartoum) or devious foes (just about everyone else, including several of the UN great and good; Kofi Annan, Mark Malloch Brown, Kieran Prendergast, to name but three).
Had I not known Mukesh, I would probably have given up at the prologue. I would have written it off as yet another example of self indulgent vanity publishing in which the writer positions himself (and it's nearly always him) as the hero at the centre of a major historical event.
But fortunately I got past page 14. And the more I read, the more I had to read. Not just because this is written with real honesty, but because this is truly a story that desperately needs to be heard. Putting aside my petty complaints, the overwhelming message of this important book comes through loud and clear. And it's deeply, very deeply, disturbing. I am sickened by the horrific accounts of rape, violence, mutilation, destruction, and genocide. I am disgusted by the complicity of the UN. I am filled with frustrated outrage that those who ordered and led these crimes against humanity still go free - and even continue to mutilate and destroy.
Which I was why I want everyone to read this book as a call to action. For apathy kills.
Yet I have mixed feelings, for this is a deeply disturbing yet also an intensely annoying read. So let's get the annoying out of the way. First, the sensationalist title (and the subtitle....oh yes, and the blurb on the front and back covers). And it isn’t helped by the vaguely ridiculous prologue - an attempted assassination with epoxy resin? Hard to swallow!
Mukesh (or more likely his ghost writer) employs extensive use of dialogue with his family, friends and foes to tell his story - a highly effective literary device that creates a compelling immediacy. But in doing so, he fatally compromises this important book. For in attempting to accurately recreate conversations from the past - an utterly unrealistic exercise - it is inevitable that much of the book is simply fabricated. Quite simply, this is journalism, not history. And once you begin to question the historical accuracy of the dialogue, the rest looks suspect. Which is why I am so annoyed. For the appalling neglect of Darfur by the so-called ’international community’ cost hundreds of thousands of lives, with millions more violently displaced, raped, and terrorised. There is little enough to be proud of in relation to Darfur, and the heroic efforts of those few who fought bravely for attention and action must be honoured and celebrated. It is the truth that must be told and heard, not a ’novel based on a true story’.
My final reason for annoyance is the somewhat artificial simplicity of the story. Every action is right or wrong. There is little room for ambiguity or complexity. People fall simply into three categories; family, friend or foe. There are no acquaintances. In his world, you are either deliberately kept in the dark (family), utterly loyal friends (most of his closest staff in Khartoum) or devious foes (just about everyone else, including several of the UN great and good; Kofi Annan, Mark Malloch Brown, Kieran Prendergast, to name but three).
Had I not known Mukesh, I would probably have given up at the prologue. I would have written it off as yet another example of self indulgent vanity publishing in which the writer positions himself (and it's nearly always him) as the hero at the centre of a major historical event.
But fortunately I got past page 14. And the more I read, the more I had to read. Not just because this is written with real honesty, but because this is truly a story that desperately needs to be heard. Putting aside my petty complaints, the overwhelming message of this important book comes through loud and clear. And it's deeply, very deeply, disturbing. I am sickened by the horrific accounts of rape, violence, mutilation, destruction, and genocide. I am disgusted by the complicity of the UN. I am filled with frustrated outrage that those who ordered and led these crimes against humanity still go free - and even continue to mutilate and destroy.
Which I was why I want everyone to read this book as a call to action. For apathy kills.
March 17, 2025
There are books you like reading, and there are books that change the very core of your being. This is the latter. Reading this changed me. Made me see clearer. This was just pure salt in open wounds of what is happening all around us and has been happening for decades. What has changed since Rwanda and Darfur? How can it be that one man has to blow the whistle on his own system that he trusts and that just be the very thing to have the power and mandate to stop this. How can so many people just sit and watch while the horrors of the world continue? Mukesh Kapila, your story, your words are a blessing in such a broken world. Thank you for everything that you have done for those voices that have been silenced, ignored and murdered.
September 9, 2017
This is a very important book for everyone who is interested in (working in) conflict resolution. It gives good insight into the conflict in Darfur and particularly Kapila's dialogues with rebel leaders and victims were fascinating as these provide unique (and sometimes shocking) perspectives that otherwise most of us will never have learned of. As a reader, Kapila takes you by the hand as he openly shares his doubts and considerations against the background of his strong moral, humanitarian convictions. His drive to make the world a more peaceful place are well explained and contextualized throughout the book, and add a very human and personal touch.
The personal angle makes it read like a real-life thriller. Once started, I could not lay it down as I could feel Kapila's desparation and determination, identified with these feelings and admired him for it. This is one of the strongest components of the book.
However, this personal approach - in which Kapila provides almost exclusively his own perspective on the matter - also makes it difficult to envisage alternative perpectives or courses of actions in light of the decision-making dilemmas he was facing. It triggered my curiousity in gainining insight in the point of view of the counterparts at the UN he most notably criticizes (i.e. Kofi Annan). Why was Annan not more responsive to the plight of the people of Darfur? What constraints did he face?
I therefore think the book would have benefitted from a more balanced approach in terms of trying to understand the political context of the UN at the time, and the constraints, interests and perspectives of the actors in it. As good and sincere as Kapila's intentions were (almost the exclusive justification for the decisions he took), as a reader interested in international relations I would have found it very interesting to read his reflections -perhaps in hindsight- on how he could have - if at all - better capitalized on his drivers within the UN and with an understanding of the constraints that the system poses.
Nevertheless, I can only recommend this book as it is touching, shocking, and insightful, and also motivating and encouraging in terms of contributing to conflict resolution. This is even more the case if you keep asking yourself what you would have done had you been in his position.
The personal angle makes it read like a real-life thriller. Once started, I could not lay it down as I could feel Kapila's desparation and determination, identified with these feelings and admired him for it. This is one of the strongest components of the book.
However, this personal approach - in which Kapila provides almost exclusively his own perspective on the matter - also makes it difficult to envisage alternative perpectives or courses of actions in light of the decision-making dilemmas he was facing. It triggered my curiousity in gainining insight in the point of view of the counterparts at the UN he most notably criticizes (i.e. Kofi Annan). Why was Annan not more responsive to the plight of the people of Darfur? What constraints did he face?
I therefore think the book would have benefitted from a more balanced approach in terms of trying to understand the political context of the UN at the time, and the constraints, interests and perspectives of the actors in it. As good and sincere as Kapila's intentions were (almost the exclusive justification for the decisions he took), as a reader interested in international relations I would have found it very interesting to read his reflections -perhaps in hindsight- on how he could have - if at all - better capitalized on his drivers within the UN and with an understanding of the constraints that the system poses.
Nevertheless, I can only recommend this book as it is touching, shocking, and insightful, and also motivating and encouraging in terms of contributing to conflict resolution. This is even more the case if you keep asking yourself what you would have done had you been in his position.
April 26, 2019
This book is the best read from this year.This book steal my heart and I will always remember that to be good is better than other thing.
January 10, 2015
As a humanitarian UN worker currently working with Darfur refugees on the Chadian border, I sometimes wonder what could have been avoided to bring the more than 300,000 Darfuri refugees to be living so close (physically), yet so far (political solution to the crisis) to their homeland. This book brings part of the answers.
I have read most of the reviews and will avoid repeating what has been said about the Darfur story itself. I tend to agree with the commentators that have written that the analysis needed more depth as the book approached was seemed a little too "black-and-white"/"right-or-wrong" approach. I found this to be the weak side of the book. I believe that it is because of this over-generalization that the UN as an institution is heavily criticized throughout.
However, what I truly enjoyed was the angle of the story of a man that believes profoundly in what he is doing. Dr. Kapila does a great job retracing the story of why he chose to work as a humanitarian and how this desire is strongly attached to this roots. He exposes quite poetically how his parents were themselves saved by humanitarians (Red Cross) and his story as a young doctor traveling to Sudan for the very first time. He also recounts his involvement in other humanitarian situations in the world, for example his work in Rwanda during the events of 1994, and how this experience provoked in him a sense that something like that should never happen ever again.
I quite enjoyed the depictions of his childhood in India, as he grew up watching the international community providing humanitarian aid to his country. He felt that a country such as his, witch such a great millennial culture, was in some sorts humiliated receiving humanitarian aid. This is, probably, one of his strongest message throughout the book: that humanitarian aid is quite harmful to a people's dignity and self-respect in the long run.
His second strongest message is that political solutions to crisis such as Darfur's should be sought out as early as possible, so that a situation such as his first message mentioned above, can be avoided.
Quite recommend this book for anyone wanting to understand more of the Darfur crisis.
I have read most of the reviews and will avoid repeating what has been said about the Darfur story itself. I tend to agree with the commentators that have written that the analysis needed more depth as the book approached was seemed a little too "black-and-white"/"right-or-wrong" approach. I found this to be the weak side of the book. I believe that it is because of this over-generalization that the UN as an institution is heavily criticized throughout.
However, what I truly enjoyed was the angle of the story of a man that believes profoundly in what he is doing. Dr. Kapila does a great job retracing the story of why he chose to work as a humanitarian and how this desire is strongly attached to this roots. He exposes quite poetically how his parents were themselves saved by humanitarians (Red Cross) and his story as a young doctor traveling to Sudan for the very first time. He also recounts his involvement in other humanitarian situations in the world, for example his work in Rwanda during the events of 1994, and how this experience provoked in him a sense that something like that should never happen ever again.
I quite enjoyed the depictions of his childhood in India, as he grew up watching the international community providing humanitarian aid to his country. He felt that a country such as his, witch such a great millennial culture, was in some sorts humiliated receiving humanitarian aid. This is, probably, one of his strongest message throughout the book: that humanitarian aid is quite harmful to a people's dignity and self-respect in the long run.
His second strongest message is that political solutions to crisis such as Darfur's should be sought out as early as possible, so that a situation such as his first message mentioned above, can be avoided.
Quite recommend this book for anyone wanting to understand more of the Darfur crisis.
May 22, 2015
I bought this book after I sat through the humanitarian panel discussion at Dubai Lit Festival 2015. Not many people advocate that "if those in leadership positions know that they will be accountable for the bad decisions they make - or no decisions- they will think ten times before they do." Who will make them accountable? "It's the masses. You and me" he said. Kapila is very critical of the system, the UN/western governments, and its people, who worry more about their job contracts being renewed rather than rocking the boat to prevent thousands of people facing death and starvation. In this book Kapila describes his posting in Sudan in detail. These details are elegantly interwoven with snippets from his past job postings and his personal/family life.
We feel closer to Kapila as we progress through the book. One aspect I was a bit uncomfortable with is the grudge he has towards Arabs. He based these feeling mainly on his experience in Sudan. With my limited knowledge of Sudanese issues, I feel it's not fair to do so. Could it the military/dictatorship system of government rather than a race issue?
One causal relationship he didn't point at but was clearly visible is the relationship between Darfur problems and the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is as if "I'll forgo this for you if you forgo this for me." Dirty politics, which Kapila describes many examples of, at the top level of the UN and many western governments.
Overall, the book is an interesting read on a world issue that touched the lives of thousands of people negatively. Is it better to look the other way?
We feel closer to Kapila as we progress through the book. One aspect I was a bit uncomfortable with is the grudge he has towards Arabs. He based these feeling mainly on his experience in Sudan. With my limited knowledge of Sudanese issues, I feel it's not fair to do so. Could it the military/dictatorship system of government rather than a race issue?
One causal relationship he didn't point at but was clearly visible is the relationship between Darfur problems and the American invasion of Iraq in 2003. It is as if "I'll forgo this for you if you forgo this for me." Dirty politics, which Kapila describes many examples of, at the top level of the UN and many western governments.
Overall, the book is an interesting read on a world issue that touched the lives of thousands of people negatively. Is it better to look the other way?
May 16, 2016
An honest memoirs in which he also criticized himself but has no doubt about his act of whistleblowing. The UN was supposed to be neutral and apolitical and to his bosses it seemed a peace keeping force would never be let in to Darfur. In the short term in 2004 he achieved his objective in forcing the UN to act. In the medium term we now see that the Government of Sudan is waging war on Nuba mountains and Darfur, Sudan has recently in 2014 expelled the UN and managed to avoid its leaders being tried by the ICC. The long term effects? Too early to say.
This is not a history of Darfur and does not replace books of G Prunier J Flint & A de Waal but his inside track view casts fresh light.
His main message is that the buck stops here with each of us and a tremendous effect can be achieved when even a few people act with courage according to their consciences -- a profound message for all of us to act on.
This is not a history of Darfur and does not replace books of G Prunier J Flint & A de Waal but his inside track view casts fresh light.
His main message is that the buck stops here with each of us and a tremendous effect can be achieved when even a few people act with courage according to their consciences -- a profound message for all of us to act on.
February 26, 2016
A book you cannot stop reading to its end. An incentive to make the decision to raise one's voice, to take action and refuse to just be a bystander, to be one of those "good men" who refuses to do something about correcting a horrible wrong. It is a very personal account of humility, realizing what his calling truly is, and not letting go nor letting himself be bought out. A Humanitarian in its full extent of the word. An admirable individual worthy of my deepest admiration.
June 15, 2017
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” -That's all I have to say .
October 20, 2025
Incredible book.
November 19, 2013
The horrors of Rwanda are repeated in Darfur in spite of what we had learned. One man, Mukesh Kapila, a representative of the UN, realizes what is happening and tries to save Darfur from genocide. He is thwarted at every juncture by the Sudan government AND the UN itself. Terrible atrocities are described in detail, but few seem to care. Makes you wonder if the UN is still necessary.
August 11, 2013
Instructive, angry and heart-rending. We all need to face up to the realities of ignoring genocide. Not on my watch.
June 28, 2015
Gosh I was totally moved to see how a country that hasn't got much to offer can be so ignored, sad and shocked. Bless those people
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews