DR Congo files case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice
The Democratic Republic of Congo filed an application against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice on June 26, accusing its neighbor of responsibility for “massacres, extrajudicial executions, acts of torture, sexual violence, forced displacement, and discrimination” against civilians in eastern Congo. The filing covers abuses “from 1996 to the present day,” spanning the First and Second Congo Wars and the current fighting.
Rwanda has consistently denied backing armed groups in the DRC, casting its military involvement as self-defense against the FDLR, a Hutu militia it says Kinshasa harbors. The case sharpens after the Rwanda-backed M23 rebels captured the eastern cities of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025, displacing hundreds of thousands; UN experts and Western governments have linked Rwanda to the group, which Kigali disputes. A US-brokered deal and a Qatari-mediated ceasefire have so far failed to stop the violence.
Taking the dispute to The Hague is a diplomatic rather than military lever — ICJ proceedings move slowly and the court cannot enforce its rulings — but it formalizes Kinshasa’s case and keeps international pressure on Kigali while mediation stalls.