Ida Sawyer is a Central Africa Director at Human Rights Watch.

Currently Ida works for Human Rights Watch in Central Africa. She has been live in Congo since January 2008, first in Goma and then, in 2011, she moved to Kinshasa.

In August 2016, Congolese authorities barred Ida from continuing to work in the country, following a series of Human Rights Watch publications on Political repression.

Ida has already conducted researsh across Congo and in areas of northern Congo and neighbouring countries affected by the Lord’s Resistance Army, and her research has been integral to numerous Human Rights Watch repors. She also conducts high level advocacy with Congolese officials and international actors as well as outreach with local civil society groups.

Ida came to Human Rights Watch from Cairo, where she had worked as a Freelance journalist. Her previous experience in Africa Great Lakes region includes work for CARE International and the Charity for Peace Foundation in Northern Uganda, as well as research in Congo on the cross-border dynamics of natural resource exploitation.

Ida holds a Master's degree in International Affairs, specialising in Human rights, from Columbia University. Prior to that, she finished Wilson High School (DC).