The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbor of breaching multiple international treaties and seeking accountability for alleged crimes.
In a statement, DR Congo stated that Rwanda had dispatched forces and backed armed groups to carry out unlawful military operations on its territory following the 1994 Rwandan genocide. Congolese Justice Minister Guillaume Andali said the country is seeking accountability for alleged breaches of conventions covering genocide prevention, racial discrimination, women's rights, and torture. The nation's application asks the ICJ, based in the Netherlands, to order Rwanda to cease its alleged crimes and award reparations to the Congolese authorities and victims.
Rwanda has not yet responded to DR Congo's filing, but has long dismissed evidence that it backs rebel groups within the country. United Nations experts and Western governments are among various parties who say Rwanda is supporting the M23, a major armed group in eastern DR Congo.
The decades-long conflict is rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, during which an estimated 800,000 people, primarily from the Tutsi community, were killed by ethnic Hutu extremists. Fearing reprisals, approximately one million Hutus fled across the border into what is now DR Congo, exacerbating ethnic tensions as the marginalized Banyamulenge Tutsi group in the east felt increasingly threatened. Rwanda's army invaded DR Congo twice, stating it was pursuing those responsible for the genocide and collaborating with members of the Banyamulenge and other armed groups. One Hutu group, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which includes individuals responsible for the Rwandan genocide, remains active in eastern DR Congo. Rwanda describes the FDLR as a "genocidal militia" and asserts its continued existence threatens Rwandan territory. Conversely, Rwanda accuses Congolese authorities of working with the FDLR, a claim denied by DR Congo.
The conflict intensified in January, when the M23 captured significant parts of the mineral-rich east, including the regional capital Goma. Fighting has persisted despite Rwanda and DR Congo signing a peace deal, spearheaded by the United States, in December.
This is not the first time DR Congo has initiated legal action against Rwanda at the ICJ. An initial case was withdrawn by Congolese authorities in 2001. In 2006, the ICJ dismissed a second case, citing that it could not proceed because Rwanda had not recognized the court's jurisdiction. The ICJ will now examine the new claims.