Earlier this week, Rwandan social media was awash with divided opinions sparked by Sadate Munyakazi, a Rwandan businessman and a staunch member of the ruling Rwandan Patriotic Front party, who had said that by 2050, Burundians and Congolese would come to Rwanda “to sweep the streets” and “clean the toilets.” He has since apologized for his remarks.
However, the demeaning remarks about the citizens of Rwanda’s neighboring countries, with whom Rwanda has endured difficult diplomatic relations, attracted both support and anger from the Rwandan public in equal measures.
Oswald Mutuyeyezu, named journalist of the year at Rwanda’s 2024 Development Journalism Awards, joined in the debate, and his opinion appeared to support Munyakazi’s remarks.
Foreign minister weighs in
This matter did not seem to sit well with Rwanda’s foreign minister, Olivier Nduhungirehe.
Taking to his X account, Nduhungirehe called on Mutuyeyezu to delete his post. Nduhungirehe said that as a journalist and an influencer, Mutuyeyezu has a large following, and his statement had the potential to further undermine Rwanda’s diplomatic relations with its neighbors. The post was deleted soon after.
Foreign Minister Olivier Nduhungirehe has raised concerns over free speech in Rwanda after calling upon a journalist to remove what he considered a problematic social media postImage: Mandel Ngan/AFP/Getty Images
Mutuyeyezu confirmed to DW that he deleted his X comment after introspection, but denied it was due to pressure from the foreign minister.
“After reflecting long and hard, I realized that as someone with a big following I had a responsibility to pull down my post, since it could have some diplomatic implications. But it was not due to the minister’s request,” he said.
Mutuyeyezu said he cannot be forced to withdraw his posts. He added that he was used to cyberbullying and claimed he had previously refused requests from high-ranking officials to take down his posts.
Groups like Human Rights Watch and Reporters Without Borders have called the Rwandan government intolerant toward to freedom of speech and expression, a charge Rwandan authorities have denied.
Tensions among neighbors
Rwanda’s relations with Burundi have been tense since 2015, when Burundi foiled an attempted coup against the then-President Pierre Nkurunziza. Burundi accused Rwanda of being behind the failed coup plot.
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Rwanda’s relationship with the Democratic Republic of Congo, meanwhile, seems to be at rock bottom. An unresolved conflict in eastern Congo, where each country has accused the other of supporting rebels aiming to overthrow their respective governments, has not ended despite multiple international efforts to bring peace to the region.
Speaking about the incident involving the foreign minister and Mutuyeyezu, Emmanuel Mugisha, executive secretary of Rwanda Media Commission, told DW: “As a minister of foreign relations, he was right.”
Mugisha, whose organization is in charge of media self-regulation, added: “Maybe it [the remarks on X] could have escalated tensions between the three countries, but he [Nduhungirehe] could have simply called the journalist on the phone rather than using a direct comment. Because going forward, journalists will grow cold feet before posting freely, thinking there is a ‘big brother’ watching over them.”
Mugisha said journalists should post without fear or favor since ministries, or any public authorities, do not have any regulatory powers over journalism.
Edited by: Cai Nebe
