DRC files ICJ case against Rwanda

The Democratic Republic of the Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the International — International Criminal Court, accusing its neighbor of legal responsibility for over three decades of violence in eastern Congo. The Democratic Republic of the Congo alleges breaches of international conventions on genocide, racial discrimination, discrimination against women, and torture, citing massacres, extrajudicial killings, sexual violence, and forced displacement. The conflict is rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide, with Rwanda repeatedly accused of backing armed groups like March 23 Movement to access the region's mineral wealth. The Democratic Republic of the Congo seeks a declaration of Rwanda's international responsibility, an order to halt activities, guarantees against repetition, and reparations. This is the third attempt by the Democratic Republic of the Congo to bring Rwanda before the ICJ, with previous attempts dismissed for lack of jurisdiction. The filing coincides with ongoing, but struggling, peace talks mediated by the United States and Qatar. The United States recently sanctioned Gasabo Gold Refinery for its alleged coordination with March 23 Movement.