DRC files new genocide case against Rwanda while facing ICC complaints over alleged crimes

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) lodged a fresh complaint at the International Court of Justice, accusing Rwanda of genocide and other atrocity crimes committed from 1996 to the present. The filing cites Rwanda’s 2008 withdrawal of its jurisdictional reservations under the Genocide Convention and related treaties, which could overcome previous dismissal hurdles.

Separately, lawyers have submitted complaints to the International Criminal Court and Belgian prosecutors alleging crimes against humanity by members of the DRC’s ruling elite, citing mass killings in 2024 at prisons and in the Katanga region. The complaints invoke the Rome Statute’s “communication” provision, and prosecutors in The Hague and Brussels must now decide whether to open investigations.