{"id":120182,"date":"2026-02-20T13:17:57","date_gmt":"2026-02-20T13:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/all-news\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations"},"modified":"2026-02-20T13:42:58","modified_gmt":"2026-02-20T13:42:58","slug":"silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations","title":{"rendered":"Silence on Hate Speech Risks Complicity in Violations"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"color: #ff6600\"><strong>Africa-Press &#8211; Rwanda. <\/strong><\/span>Rwanda has warned that the international community\u2019s failure to combat hate speech risks enabling mass violence, cautioning that such rhetoric is often a state-driven project that precedes genocide.<\/p>\n<p>Delivering Rwanda\u2019s statement at the opening of the 2026 session of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) on Wednesday, February 18, Col Deo Mutabazi, the Military Adviser at Rwanda\u2019s Mission to the United Nations, said hate speech should never be trivialised or shielded under the guise of free expression.<\/p>\n<p>His remarks come amid a surge in hate speech across the Great Lakes region, particularly in DR Congo, where inflammatory rhetoric has increasingly targeted Tutsi communities in eastern region of this country. For years, many of these communities have faced displacement, persecution and violence, often in a context shaped and inflamed by political narratives and governance issues.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHate speech is a government project,\u201d Mutabazi told the delegates. \u201cIt precedes mass violence, crimes of genocide, and it emanates from a carefully instigated genocide ideology.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stressed that such speech dehumanises targeted minorities \u201cfor who they are\u201d and constructs a moral and political justification for their destruction.<\/p>\n<p>Recalling Rwanda\u2019s history, he noted that the country \u201cexperienced an intensity of hate speech before and during the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi,\u201d underscoring the catastrophic consequences of unchecked incitement.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cHate speech should not be disguised as freedom of speech,\u201d Mutabazi said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe UN\u2019s deafening silence on this growing crime amounts to an endorsement of, or complicity in, mass violation and the denial of a group\u2019s identity.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda, he said, remains committed to combating hate speech and urged Member States not to tolerate violations of \u201cthe very fundamental right, the right to life,\u201d describing this as a moral obligation within the framework of protection of civilians mandates.<\/p>\n<p>Peacekeeping under financial strain<\/p>\n<p>Mutabazi\u2019s remarks came as the UN continues to downsize peacekeeping missions in response to a liquidity crisis.<\/p>\n<p>He noted that the debate also followed the just-concluded Contingent Owned Equipment Working Group (COEWG), which reviews and updates policies related to contingent-owned equipment.<\/p>\n<p>While acknowledging the need for efficiency, he cautioned against allowing budgetary concerns to overshadow operational realities.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cOperational efficiency and effective mandate delivery were treated as secondary to budget efficiency,\u201d he said, arguing that financial considerations should support, not undermine, mission performance.<\/p>\n<p>He pointed out that peacekeeping missions are now expected to carry out the same tasks, in the same areas of operation, but with reduced capabilities and constrained resources.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cPeople often ask whether they will achieve more with less or less with less,\u201d Mutabazi said. \u201cThe problem here is not the downsizing, but the way the plan was conceived.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He reiterated that mandates must be backed by \u201cadequate, predictable and sustainable funding,\u201d in line with established UN principles.<\/p>\n<p>Primacy of politics and root causes<\/p>\n<p>Beyond operational issues, the Rwandan envoy called for stronger attention to the root causes and drivers of conflict.<\/p>\n<p>Mutabazi referenced the UN Charter\u2019s emphasis on the peaceful settlement of disputes, linking sustainable peace to justice, human rights, and socio-economic development.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThere is no enduring peace without a political process,\u201d he said, urging the UN to align its activities \u201cto the primacy of politics, rather than chasing a military solution to the complex political problem.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He stressed that addressing grievances through peaceful means must be central to peacekeeping efforts, rather than treated as a secondary consideration.<\/p>\n<p>Rwanda also reaffirmed the indispensable role of women in peace operations, from leadership to field units.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cGender parity, gender-responsive training, and implementation of Women, Peace and Security commitments must advance with urgency and accountability,\u201d Mutabazi said. \u201cPeacekeeping without a gender perspective is peacekeeping without impact.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>He paid tribute to fallen peacekeepers who \u201cmade the ultimate sacrifice in defending a noble cause,\u201d reaffirming Rwanda\u2019s unwavering support for multilateral efforts to safeguard global peace.<\/p>\n<p>As one of the leading contributors to UN peacekeeping operations, Rwanda reiterated its commitment to maintaining international peace and stability.<\/p>\n<p><strong>For More News And Analysis About <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Rwanda<\/span> Follow <span style=\"color: #ff6600\">Africa-Press<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Africa-Press &#8211; Rwanda. Rwanda has warned that the international community\u2019s failure to combat hate speech risks enabling mass violence, cautioning that such rhetoric is often a state-driven project that precedes genocide. Delivering Rwanda\u2019s statement at the opening of the 2026 session of the United Nations Special Committee on Peacekeeping Operations (C-34) on Wednesday, February 18, [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":84,"featured_media":120181,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[24,14],"tags":[2542,7011,3847,758,764],"class_list":["post-120182","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-all-news","category-policy","tag-dr-congo","tag-hate-speech","tag-peacekeeping","tag-rwanda","tag-united-nations"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.1 (Yoast SEO v27.0) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Silence on Hate Speech Risks Complicity in Violations - Rwanda<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Rwanda has warned that the international community\u2019s failure to combat hate speech risks enabling mass violence, caution ...\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Silence on Hate Speech Risks Complicity in Violations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Rwanda has warned that the international community\u2019s failure to combat hate speech risks enabling mass violence, caution ...\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Rwanda\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T13:17:57+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2026-02-20T13:42:58+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1771582285.993162.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"1000\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"724\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cfeditoren\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cfeditoren\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/#\/schema\/person\/068c7ab4e9634ae78ec5d54ec46598bb\"},\"headline\":\"Silence on Hate Speech Risks Complicity in Violations\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-02-20T13:17:57+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2026-02-20T13:42:58+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations\"},\"wordCount\":674,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/static.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/sites\/23\/2026\/02\/sm_1771582285.993162.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"DR Congo\",\"HATE SPEECH\",\"Peacekeeping\",\"Rwanda\",\"United nations\"],\"articleSection\":[\"all news\",\"Policy\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.africa-press.net\/rwanda\/policy\/silence-on-hate-speech-risks-complicity-in-violations\",\"name\":\"Silence on Hate Speech Risks Complicity in Violations - 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