The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Kigali of involvement in the long-running conflict in eastern Congo through support for the M23 rebel group.
Kinshasa alleges that Rwanda has played a role in backing M23 fighters who have seized and held large areas of territory following a rapid offensive last year. The DRC claims this support has contributed to widespread abuses against civilians.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied the accusations and instead alleges that the DRC is cooperating with the FDLR, a militia linked to perpetrators of the 1994 Rwandan genocide.
The conflict, rooted in the aftermath of the genocide, has fuelled decades of instability in the region as armed groups continue to operate across the porous border between the two countries.
In its filing, the DRC accused Rwanda of breaching international law, including conventions on genocide, racial discrimination, torture, and other human rights violations. It alleges that crimes committed over the past three decades include massacres, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, torture, and forced displacement.
Kinshasa is asking the ICJ to order Rwanda to halt the alleged violations and provide reparations to both the state and affected victims.
There has been no immediate response from the Rwandan government to the latest legal action.
Rwanda has consistently rejected claims that it supports armed groups in eastern Congo, despite reports from UN experts and several Western governments suggesting otherwise.
The case marks a major escalation in diplomatic tensions between the two neighbours, adding a new legal dimension to one of Africa’s most protracted conflicts.
