For years, Human Rights Watch has turned into an institution of mercenaries, selling its services and advocacy tactics to systematically tarnish the image of targeted individuals and countries. Rwanda has long been one of its favorites.
In its most recent report, titled “Death Was Everywhere,” HRW throws around allegations of arbitrary detention, killings, and forced recruitment allegedly carried out by the M23 and the Rwanda Defence Force.
It is no coincidence that before this latest report was released, senior HRW officials had made Kinshasa their regular haunt. As a matter of fact, the organization has strengthened its engagement with the Tshisekedi regime, becoming a willing instrument in a propaganda campaign aimed at demonizing Rwanda over the crisis in eastern DRC.
It is in this context that an HRW delegation held a series of high-level meetings with senior officials of the Tshisekedi regime. The delegation included Executive Director Philippe Bolopion and the organization’s lead researcher for the Great Lakes region, Clémentine de Montjoye.
The delegation met with Prime Minister Judith Suminwa as well as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Defence Guy Kabombo Muadiamvita.
While in Kinshasa, Clémentine de Montjoye also participated in a workshop organized by the so-called research institute Ebuteli. The event was led by Fred Bauma, founder of LUCHA, a movement whose members have engaged in anti-Tutsi hate speech against their fellow Congolese. Other participants included Jason K. Stearns, Joshua Z. Walker, and Mvemba Dizolele, former Africa Director at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
It is worth noting that Jason Stearns remains the brains behind the narratives and talking points frequently advanced by the Tshisekedi regime in its war propaganda.
Taken together, these interactions raise should legitimate questions about the independence and objectivity of HRW’s work on the region. They show a coordinated effort to produce a report that aligns with Kinshasa’s political interests.
The objective is to damage Rwanda’s international reputation by portraying it as the principal culprit behind the humanitarian crisis in eastern DRC, while simultaneously seeking to delegitimize the grievances and political claims advanced by the M23 movement.
This would not be the first time Human Rights Watch has engaged in unethical activities. The organization has previously been criticized over its funding practices and conflicts of interest, leading many observers to question its credibility and impartiality.
In 2020, the unscrupulous organization took money from a Saudi businessman after documenting his coercive labour practices. It has now become clear that, this time, Kinshasa’s paychecks are leading HRW’s crusade in the desired direction.
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