'But We Also Support Monitoring': INGO Monitoring and Donor Support to Gacaca Justice in Rwanda

Abstract

The article focuses on the interplay between donors and international nongovernmental organizations (INGOs) with regards to monitoring of the gacaca courts in Rwanda. While both donors and INGOs agreed that monitoring had a positive outcome on information gathering and sharing, as well as on limiting human rights violations by the courts themselves, they disagreed on the extent to which donors should have supported INGOs’ recommendations for improvements to the process. As a result of their service delivery role, INGOs expected to be granted more space by the Rwandan authorities to help improve the gacaca process. When they realized this space would not be available, they relied on donors to support their efforts by pressuring the Rwandan government. Donors did not share the INGOs’ aims, however, and had a number of reasons for not intervening more strongly, thereby frustrating the INGOs’ efforts. The lessons learned from this dynamic may be useful in the design of future localized transitional justice processes, particularly as they highlight a need for better articulation of goals and expectations, as well as the necessity of coordinated strategies on monitoring and follow-through on the resulting recommendations to effecting the desired impacts.