The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) formally referred the Rwanda Defense Forces (RDF) and the M23 rebel group to the International Criminal Court (ICC) to ensure that the court focuses on what it calls the systematic pillaging of its natural resources in eastern Congo.
It is unclear whether the new referral will shift the focus of the International Criminal Court’s ongoing investigation into eastern Congo, which began in 2004.
“The DRC government remains deeply concerned about the suffering of the populations in the part of its territory affected by the acts referred to in this case,” said the Congo’s Justice Ministry.
The referral would target human rights violators between 2022 and 2023, with the hope that they would be investigated and prosecuted.
The Tutsi-led M23 rebel group launched a new offensive in eastern Congo in March of last year, seizing towns and villages in the region bordering Uganda. As a direct result of the fighting, over a million people were displaced.
Congo has stated that Rwanda backs the M23. The Rwandan government has denied any involvement.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) prosecutor’s office has not released any information other than the fact that it is investigating allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Ituri region and the North and South Kivu provinces dating back to July 2002.
So far, the International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted three different Congolese militia leaders for their roles in atrocities committed in eastern DRC.
Karim Khan, the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, is scheduled to visit Kinshasa and the Congolese provinces affected by rebel groups from May 28 to May 31.
