Mr. Rawlence works in East Africa and the Horn of Africa for Human Rights Watch. He has previously covered Zanzibar, Uganda, Nigeria, and South Sudan for the organization. Prior to joining Human Rights Watch, he worked as an adviser to the Tanzanian opposition party and as a foreign affairs adviser to the Liberal Democrats in the UK Parliament.

Mr. Rawlence holds a BA in Swahili and history from the School of Oriental and African Studies at the University of London, and an MA in international relations from the University of Chicago.