The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbour of violating multiple international treaties and carrying out unlawful military activities on Congolese territory.
In its submission, the DRC alleged that Rwanda deployed troops and supported armed groups involved in military operations inside its borders following the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
Congolese Justice Minister Guillaume Andali said the case seeks accountability for alleged breaches of international conventions relating to genocide prevention, racial discrimination, the rights of women, and the prohibition of torture.
Rwanda has not yet officially responded to the latest filing but has consistently denied accusations that it supports rebel groups operating in eastern DRC.
However, United Nations experts and several Western governments have previously alleged that Rwanda backs the M23 rebel group, which remains active in the eastern region of the country.
The DRC is asking the ICJ in The Hague to order Rwanda to stop the alleged violations and to award compensation to victims and the Congolese state.
The court is expected to review the application and determine whether the case can proceed.
This is not the first legal action the DRC has taken against Rwanda at the ICJ. A previous case filed in 2001 was withdrawn, while another in 2006 was dismissed on jurisdictional grounds after Rwanda declined to accept the court’s authority.
The long-standing conflict in eastern DRC is closely tied to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, in which an estimated 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, were killed by Hutu extremists.
Following the genocide, around one million Hutus fled into what is now the DRC, contributing to rising ethnic tensions in the region, particularly involving the Banyamulenge Tutsi community.
Rwanda has twice sent troops into the DRC, saying it was targeting perpetrators of the genocide, and has also collaborated with local armed groups.
One of the Hutu militias, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), which includes individuals linked to the genocide, remains active in eastern DRC.
Rwanda describes the FDLR as a genocidal group and argues that its presence in the DRC poses a security threat to its own territory. It has also accused the Congolese government of cooperating with the group, an allegation Kinshasa denies.
The conflict escalated again in January when M23 fighters seized large areas of the mineral-rich eastern region, including the city of Goma.
Despite a peace agreement signed in December with United States mediation, fighting has continued in parts of eastern Congo.
