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Unmasking self-appointed DRC expert Jason Stearns
Jason Stearns.
American saboteur Jason
Stearns has, since 2001, appointed himself expert on the Democratic Republic of
Congo (DRC) and his reports have been at the center of controversy. He was
expelled from DRC under President Joseph Kabila for reasons including lying about
his visa application and hiding his location as he was invited by an
unregistered NGO.
Ever since Felix Tshisekedi
took office, in 2019, Stearns’ reports aligned with Tshisekedi’s propaganda,
raising more questions about his credibility.
On August 6, two research
groups on DRC linked to Stearns: Ebutuli (the Congolese Institute for Research
on Politics, Governance, and Violence), and the Congo Research Group, jointly
published a report on the resurgence of M23, asserting that it is a result of
external tension between Rwanda and Uganda over the control of DRC.
This is not an investigative
report but a continued campaign by Tshisekedi as part of a strategy to divert
attention from the real causes of insecurity in DRC, and aiming to shift the
responsibility away from the Congolese government and portraying them as
victims.
Stearns’ report quotes
statements Tshisekedi said during a conversation with the Brookings
Institution, on July 24, during a video conference. This shows Stearns' efforts
to gain sympathy from Tshisekedi in the hope of being allowed to return as a
researcher in DRC.
In his reports, Stearns
downplays the threat of the FDLR, a genocidal group formed by individuals
responsible for the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda and numerous
atrocities in the region.
Stearns consistently blames
Rwanda for the creation of M23 rebels while ignoring the grievances and
suffering of the group whose community continues to be persecuted by their own
government and denied their rights as Congolese citizens. Stearns always points
out Rwanda and exonerates the Congolese government from its primary
responsibility and role in the conflict.
While making the Congolese
conflict appear external, Stearns pretends ignorance of the failure of the
Congolese government to implement the Luanda and Nairobi peace agreements,
among others.
Stearns' reports exonerate the
government of DRC from promoting hate speech against the Congolese Tutsi. He
lies that the latest conflict is a result of M23’s resurgence. Since the UN
Special Envoy on Genocide Prevention Alice Nderitu Wairimu condemned hate
speech against the Tutsi in DRC, Stearns could not deny its existence but
decided to justify it.
Even if Stearns wants to
portray M23 as a creation of Rwanda, M23 is a Congolese movement comprising
individuals from different tribes, and the regions under M23 control are some
of the most peaceful in the country, with the group advocating for unity rather
than xenophobia.
Stearns wants to mislead the
international community to present M23 as a source of insecurity in DRC, a
country which has more than 250 armed groups. The media’s reliance on Stearns’
misinformation only worsens the insecurity in DRC.
Today, the country is facing several challenges including rampant corruption, and insecurity. Misinformation, as propagated by individuals like Stearns, does not resolve the insecurity in east DRC. By presenting biased and self-serving narratives, Stearns damages efforts to address the root causes of conflict and perpetuates divisions within the country.
