DRC: Regional leadership needed to prevent further atrocities and hold those suspected of criminal responsibility accountable

Ahead of the joint summit on 7 and 8 February of the heads of state and government of the East African Community (EAC) and the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on the escalation of fighting in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Amnesty International’s Secretary General, Agnès Callamard, said:

“This special summit on the grave situation in the DRC is well overdue. The catastrophic human rights consequences of the country’s armed conflicts have gone on for far too long. Now hundreds of thousands of women, children and men have once again been forced to flee the fighting, enduring dire conditions and desperately trying to stay alive.

“States and intergovernmental organizations including the East African Community, Southern African Development Community, African Union, United Nations and European Union should intensify their engagement at this watershed moment, expose enablers of the current attacks in Goma and beyond, and make it clear that all those suspected of criminal responsibility for the ongoing atrocities will be held to account in fair trials.

“It is high time to ensure accountability for nearly 30 years of crimes under international law committed in the DRC. Failure to seize this moment will only embolden the perpetrators and increase the likelihood of further atrocities.”

Background

On 18 January, the M23 armed group, backed by Rwandan forces, launched a military operation to expand its territory, violating a ceasefire agreement between Rwanda and the DRC established through the Luanda Peace Process. Since then, the M23 and the Rwandan Defence Force (RDF) have captured several towns and cities, including the North Kivu capital of Goma.

On 27 January, Amnesty International called on DRC’s regional and international partners to exert pressure on all warring parties in the east of the country – including the Rwandan-backed M23 fighters, the Rwandan and Congolese armies, and their allies – to prioritize the protection of civilians in the aftermath of the recent fighting in Goma.