Rough Beasts Slouching Toward Kigali: The Taming of the National Human Rights Commission and the National Unity and Reconciliation Commission (1999–2003)

This chapter explores the under-theorized role of national institutions at the peacebuilding-human rights nexus, a space that often involves trade-offs between the two objectives  in post-conflict countries. Rwanda’s human rights and reconciliation commissions were established in 1999. They helped to catalyze the Rwandan government’s monolithic vision of national unity after the genocide and displayed loyalty to that vision. This chapter argues, however, that the two commissions should be treated differently when assessing the extent to which they were “tamed” by the government and when assessing the relative value placed on human rights and peacebuilding. While the reconciliation commission operated essentially as an arm of government, with human rights playing handmaid to peacebuilding, the record of the human rights commission was more complex and nuanced. While it rarely criticized the government’s national unity project, the human rights commission did condemn the arbitrary exercise of government power and played a role in addressing economic and social rights. Its record shows glimpses of genuine, independent opposition to the government and a willingness to do so even at the cost of reconciliation and peace. The trade-offs between peace and human rights played out in parallel with the international community’s role in Rwanda, including Canada. Before the transition period, Canada was a significant donor to the country, looking the other way on human rights abuses, while supporting peace and development. During the transition period, Canada’s role in supporting the commissions was minor, and its tendency to focus on development and peace continued, albeit at a diminished level of support.