Debating the identity and indigeneity of the Batwa in post-genocide Rwanda: a review of the challenges and prospects from a human rights perspective

Abstract

This study is a systematic review of the United Nations and African Union reports on the controversial identity of the Batwa and their recognition as an Indigenous people in post-genocide Rwanda. Using the criteria of inclusion and exclusion, 25 United Nations and African Union periodic reports dating from 2000 onwards were systematically selected and reviewed. The findings of the study indicate that both the United Nations and African Union agree and disagree on the position of the Government of Rwanda on the identity recognition and the strategies used to empower the Batwa. Therefore, lack of a unified position on the status of the Batwa grossly undermines the United Nations human rights–based approach leading to the violation of their rights. This study proposes a new thinking that rectifies the status of the Batwa as a historically marginalized people. The study also subscribes to the tenets of national unity advanced by the Government of Rwanda.