The Democratic Republic of the Congo on Friday filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice, accusing Kigali of bearing direct responsibility for years of violence, displacement and atrocities in the country’s east.
The move deepens one of Central Africa’s most enduring disputes and comes as attempts to stabilise the region remain fragile.
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COMMUNIQUÉ : la #RDC a déposé ce jour devant la #CIJ une requête introductive d’instance contre le #Rwanda au sujet d’un différend concernant «des exactions attribuables au Rwanda sur une période qui s’étend de 1996 à nos jours».
— CIJ_ICJ (@CIJ_ICJ) June 26, 2026
Lien vers le communiqué: https://t.co/yeUloIpkld pic.twitter.com/dwyyxAlth0
The old dispute finds a new courtroom
In a statement, the ICJ said the case concerns “abuses attributable to Rwanda over a period extending from 1996 to the present day”. Congo’s filing said the abuses “have primarily targeted Hutus present on Zairian, and subsequently Congolese, territory following the genocide against the Tutsi in 1994” in Rwanda, while also affecting other communities, including the Nyindu, Bembe, Lega, Nande, Hunde and Bashi.
The Congolese government said civilians in eastern DRC had faced “massacres, extrajudicial executions, acts of torture, sexual violence, forced displacement, and discrimination”.
#RDC: La République démocratique du Congo a, en ce jour, déposé devant la Cour internationale de Justice une requête introductive d'instance contre la République du #Rwanda. [ @NgefaGuillaume ]
— Steve Wembi (@wembi_steve) June 26, 2026
Par cette saisine, la République démocratique du Congo exerce un droit que lui… pic.twitter.com/wwihDo2CFf
Where allegations meet long shadows
The filing also alleges that Rwandan armed forces and proxy groups, including the M23/AFC alliance and the AFDL, carried out unlawful military operations across eastern Congo after the 1994 genocide, targeting refugee camps, villages and urban centres.
M23 seized the strategic cities of Goma and Bukavu in early 2025, displacing hundreds of thousands. Rwanda has repeatedly denied backing M23, saying its military presence in eastern Congo is aimed at countering the FDLR, a Hutu militia linked to the genocide.
The legal road grows decidedly longer
Congo is asking the court to order Rwanda to stop the alleged violations and pay full reparations to the state and victims.
It is the third time Kinshasa has sought ICJ action against Kigali; a previous case in 2006 was dismissed after the court ruled it lacked jurisdiction. Kigali had not issued an immediate response at the time of publication.
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FAQs
Q1: Why has DR Congo taken Rwanda to the International Court of Justice?
Ans: DR Congo alleges that Rwanda is responsible for decades of violence and human rights abuses in eastern Congo and is seeking reparations through the ICJ.
Q2: What is DR Congo asking the ICJ to do?
Ans: Kinshasa wants the court to order Rwanda to end the alleged violations and compensate the Congolese state and victims.
