DR Congo sues Rwanda at ICJ over three decades of conflict

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has lodged a new application before the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Rwanda of breaching multiple international conventions—including those on genocide, racial discrimination, women’s rights and torture. Kinshasa alleges that Rwandan forces and proxy groups such as the M23 rebel movement have conducted unlawful military operations in eastern Congo since the 1990s, resulting in massacres, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, forced displacement and other serious abuses against civilian populations.

The filing marks the DRC’s third attempt to bring Rwanda before the ICJ; an earlier case was withdrawn in 2001 and a second was dismissed in 2006 for jurisdictional reasons. The ICJ has confirmed receipt of the application, but Rwanda has not yet responded. The DRC seeks orders for Rwanda to cease the alleged violations, provide guarantees of non‑repetition and pay reparations to the state and victims.

Separately, the United States Treasury imposed sanctions on the Kigali‑based Gasabo Gold Refinery Ltd and its senior executives, designating the refinery as a hub for laundering gold mined in M23‑controlled areas of eastern Congo. The sanctions freeze U.S. assets of the refinery, its chairman Jean Malic Kalima and general manager Bosco Kayobotsi, and target three Rwandan mining firms linked to the network. Officials said at least 60 kg of conflict gold, worth several million dollars, had been processed in early 2026. The measures are part of a broader U.S. effort to disrupt illicit mineral trade that finances armed groups in the region.