Jason Kauahooululaunaheleonakuahiwi Stearns (born October 31, 1976) is an American writer who worked for ten years in the Congo, including three years during the

Second Congo War The Second Congo War,, group=lower-alpha also known as the Great War of Africa or the Great African War and sometimes referred to as the African World War, began in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in August 1998, little more than a year a ...

. He first traveled to the Congo in 2001 to work for a local human rights organization, Héritiers de la Justice, in

Bukavu Bukavu is a city in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), lying at the extreme south-western edge of Lake Kivu, west of Cyangugu in Rwanda, and separated from it by the outlet of the Ruzizi River. It is the capital of the South Kivu ...

. He went on to work for the United Nations peacekeeping mission (MONUC). In 2008 Stearns was named by the UN Secretary General to lead a special UN investigation into the violence in the country. Stearns is the author of the book, '' Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa'', and the blog
''Congo Siasa''
He received a Ph.D. in political science from

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. Established in 1701 as the Collegiate School, it is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Sta ...

on May 24, 2016.

Biography

Jason Stearns was born in San Francisco in 1976 to

Stephen C. Stearns Stephen C. Stearns (born December 12, 1946, in Kapaau, Hawaii and raised in Hawi, Hawaii) is an American biologist, and the Edward P. Bass Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Emeritus at Yale University. He is known for his work in lif ...

, an evolutionary biologist, and Beverly Peterson Stearns, a journalist. He has an older brother, Justin, who is professor of Middle Eastern history at

New York University New York University (NYU) is a private research university in New York City. Chartered in 1831 by the New York State Legislature, NYU was founded by a group of New Yorkers led by then- Secretary of the Treasury Albert Gallatin. In 1832, ...

. At the age of six, the family moved to Switzerland, where Stephen Stearns taught biology at the University of Basel. Stearns attended Swiss public school in Arlesheim and Muenchenstein, on the outskirts of Basel, and spent a year in

Laja, Chile Laja is a city and commune located in the Bío Bío Province of the Bío Bío Region of Chile. The city of Laja is the communal capital. Geography It is bounded on the north by the Laja River, on the west by the Biobío river, and the south ...

, on an exchange program. Upon graduation from Gymnasium Muenchenstein, he volunteered at the Swiss Tropical Institute's field research station in Ifakara, Tanzania. In 1997, Jason joined his older brother in the United States, attending first

Hampshire College Hampshire College is a private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts. It was opened in 1970 as an experiment in alternative education, in association with four other colleges in the Pioneer Valley: Amherst College, Smith College, Mo ...

and then neighboring Amherst College in Massachusetts. He graduated with a degree in political science. Having been accepted to law school at

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (Harvard Law or HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, it is the oldest continuously operating law school in the United States. Each class ...

, he traveled to

in the eastern

Democratic Republic of the Congo The Democratic Republic of the Congo (french: République démocratique du Congo (RDC), colloquially "La RDC" ), informally Congo-Kinshasa, DR Congo, the DRC, the DROC, or the Congo, and formerly and also colloquially Zaire, is a country in ...

to volunteer with Héritiers de la Justice, a local human rights group in September 2001. Deferring law school, he went on to work for the

International Human Rights Law Group Global Rights is an international human rights capacity-building non-governmental organization ( NGO). Founded in Washington, D.C., in 1978 with the name International Human Rights Law Group, the organization changed its name to Global Rights ...

and the United Nations peacekeeping operation MONUC for the following two years. He eventually decided not to attend law school, enrolling in a PhD program in political science at Yale University in 2009. Between 2005 and 2007, Stearns was based in

Nairobi Nairobi ( ) is the capital and largest city of Kenya. The name is derived from the Maasai phrase ''Enkare Nairobi'', which translates to "place of cool waters", a reference to the Nairobi River which flows through the city. The city prope ...

, Kenya, as a senior analyst for the International Crisis Group, working on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda and Burundi. In 2007, he left to spend a year and a half researching and writing

Dancing in the Glory of Monsters Jason Kauahooululaunaheleonakuahiwi Stearns (born October 31, 1976) is an American writer who worked for ten years in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Congo, including three years during the Second Congo War. He first traveled to the Congo ...

, a history of the Congo wars of 1996–2003, based on interviews with leading protagonists of the conflict. The title stems from a speech given by Congolese President

Laurent Kabila Laurent may refer to: * Laurent (name), a French masculine given name and a surname ** Saint Laurence (aka: Saint ''Laurent''), the martyr Laurent ** Pierre Alphonse Laurent, mathematician ** Joseph Jean Pierre Laurent, amateur astronomer, discove ...

in which he castigates Congolese for blaming their woes on a few political leaders, suggesting that the political malaise in the country is a more systemic problem. The book, which was eventually published in 2011, received critical acclaim in major newspapers and magazines. In 2008, Stearns was named as coordinator of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Congo, a panel responsible for researching support and financing of armed groups in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. In their final report, the Group found both the Rwandan and Congolese governments guilty of violating United Nations sanctions. According to eyewitness testimony, phone records and other documentary evidence, the Rwandan government had provided military support to the National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) rebel group, while the Congolese government had collaborated with the

Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda The Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (french: Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda, FDLR) is an armed rebel group active in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo. As an ethnic Hutu group opposed to the ethnic Tut ...

(FDLR) rebels, as well as other Congolese armed groups.UN Group of Experts Report 2008, pp. 7-18 and pp. 25-28. Following the report, the Swedish and Dutch government temporarily suspended aid to the Rwandan government. Several months after the publication of the report, the Rwandan government arrested the leader of the CNDP,

Laurent Nkunda Laurent Nkunda (or Laurent Nkundabatware Mihigo (birth name), or Laurent Nkunda Batware, or as he prefers to be called The Chairman; born February 2, 1967) is a former General in the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and is th ...

, and struck a peace deal with the Congolese government. In 2010, Stearns married Lusungu Kayani, a Tanzanian-American employee of the United Nations and a fashion and textile entrepreneur.

Writings

Books

*''Dancing in the Glory of Monsters: The Collapse of the Congo and the Great War of Africa''. New York: Public Affairs, 2011. *''The War That Doesn't Say Its Name: The Unending Conflict in the Congo''. Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2021.

Articles

''Congo's Shocking Sexual Violence''
''The Daily Beast'', October 17, 2010.

Notes

References