The United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) has initiated an urgent fact-finding mission aimed at addressing the escalating violence and human rights violations in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). This decision was made during the thirty-seventh special session of the Council, convened at the request of the DRC. The mission comes in response to widespread violations of human rights amid renewed conflict in the region, particularly in Kivu, with documented cases of summary executions, sexual violence, and attacks on civilians and infrastructure.
The decision to establish the fact-finding mission is part of a resolution passed by consensus and is intended to investigate alleged violations and abuses of human rights and international humanitarian law since January 2022. The focus is on North Kivu and South Kivu provinces, where civilians, especially women and children, have been disproportionately affected by the ongoing violence, facing threats such as gender-based violence, trafficking, and disrupted access to essential services like education and healthcare.
During the session, the Council emphasized the need for international action, calling for increased humanitarian support and a cessation of hostilities. Surya Deva, Chair of the Coordination Committee of the Special Procedures, urged the international community and member states to bolster humanitarian funding to assist displaced populations and those affected by violence.
The UNHRC’s mission involves collecting evidence of serious violations and presenting an oral update during the body’s fifty-ninth session. A comprehensive report is expected at the sixtieth session and subsequently at the General Assembly’s eightieth session. The Council has also condemned Rwanda’s alleged military backing of the M23 rebels, attributing significant civilian casualties and displacement to this support and calling for Rwanda’s withdrawal from the DRC territory.
Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, called on all parties involved in the conflict to cease hostilities and engage in dialogue under existing frameworks such as the Luanda and Nairobi processes.
For a detailed account of the UNHRC’s recent resolution and the ongoing humanitarian situation in the DRC, read the original article on JURIST.