By Samuel Ouma
The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has filed a landmark case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbor of decades of genocide, widespread human rights violations, and other abuses allegedly committed in eastern Congo and the former Zaire since 1996.
In an application lodged on June 26 at the Peace Palace in The Hague, the DRC asked the United Nations’ highest judicial body to hear what it described as a long-running dispute over “abuses attributable to Rwanda over a period extending from 1996 to the present day.”
The filing marks one of the most significant legal moves yet in the decades-long tensions between the two neighboring countries, whose relations have repeatedly deteriorated over allegations of cross-border violence and support for armed groups operating in eastern Congo.
According to the application, the Congolese government alleges that the abuses were committed as part of “a campaign of genocide and serious, widespread human rights violations” carried out by Rwandan authorities.
Kinshasa claims the campaign initially targeted Hutu populations who fled into eastern Zaire following the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda. It further alleges that the violence later extended to several Congolese communities, including the Nyindu, Bembe, Lega, Nande, Hunde, and Bashi ethnic groups.
The DRC is asking the ICJ to determine Rwanda’s international legal responsibility under several international treaties, including the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.
In addition to the Genocide Convention, the application invokes the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention against Torture, arguing that Rwanda violated obligations contained in each of these treaties.
By relying on these international conventions, the DRC seeks to establish the Court’s jurisdiction to hear the case and eventually rule on whether Rwanda bears legal responsibility for the alleged violations.
The filing comes amid renewed international attention on instability in eastern DRC, where armed conflict involving the M23 rebel movement and other armed groups has heightened diplomatic tensions between Kinshasa and Kigali.
Rwanda has consistently rejected accusations that it has committed atrocities in the DRC or bears responsibility for violence inside its neighbor’s territory. Kigali has frequently argued that its security concerns stem from the continued presence of armed groups linked to perpetrators of the 1994 genocide operating in eastern Congo.
The ICJ has not yet ruled on the merits of the case. The first stage of the proceedings will likely focus on whether the Court has jurisdiction to hear the dispute before any consideration of the substantive allegations.
The International Court of Justice, established in 1945 as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, settles legal disputes between states under international law and issues advisory opinions to UN organs and specialized agencies. Its decisions are binding on the parties in cases where the Court has jurisdiction.
The Court has published the DRC’s application on its official website, marking the formal commencement of proceedings.
