WESTERN NGO WHITEWASHES KAGAME AMID DRC CARNAGE

Western countries have imposed only symbolic measures against Rwandan President Paul Kagame for backing a militia called M23 that has seized territory in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). At the same time, NGOs like Global Citizen continue to sanitise his administration, according to journalist Ann Garrison.

We spoke to Garrison (@anngarrison on X) after she reported for The Grayzone (@thegrayzonenews) that Global Citizen promotes a corporate-driven agenda that aligns with Western economic interests under the guise of activism.

A recent example is when the NGO organised US-based musician @JohnLegend’s 21 February concert in Rwanda. Legend defended his decision to perform, stating that punishing the people of Rwanda for their leader’s actions was unfair. However, critics say any event in Rwanda is approved by Kagame and therefore supports his regime. Further, some have called Legend hypocritical because he has expressed support for Ukraine against Russia.

Global Citizen’s activism raises questions about its stance on Rwanda’s involvement in the DRC conflict. Its corporate partners, including tech giants like PayPal, Cisco, and Google, are accused of benefiting from the exploitation of DRC’s mineral wealth. Kigali plays a crucial role in smuggling valuable minerals like cobalt, which Western companies rely on.

Sources

Original

https://thegrayzone.com/2025/03/05/global-citizen-kagames-invasion-drc/ 

Global Citizen and USAID

https://www.globalcitizen.org/en/content/usaid-takes-powerful-strides-to-feed-the-future/ 

John Legend defends his performance

https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/world/us-star-john-legend-defends-playing-rwanda-concert-during-war/ar-AA1zGoli 

DRC loses $1 billion to Rwanda

https://www.ft.com/content/ecf89818-949b-4de7-9e8a-89f119c23a69 

Rwanda cobalt exports beats DRC

https://www.africanews.com/2024/04/12/coltan-at-the-heart-of-drc-rwanda-tensions-business-africa/ 

M23 taxing mining

https://www.xtrafrica.com/congo/tons-of-minerals-extracted-from-rubaya-were-transported-to-rwanda%3A-un-reports 

Rwanda backs M23

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/ckgyzl1mlkvo