Edited News | OHCHR
“The offensive launched this year by the Rwandan-backed M23 armed group in the North and South Kivu provinces has exacerbated an already dire human rights and humanitarian crisis in Eastern DRC,” she said.
The Deputy High Commissioner noted that since the last update to the Council in October, the UN Joint Human Rights Office has endeavored to provide technical support to the authorities to strengthen the rule of law, advance on transitional justice and enhance the fight against impunity, despite this latest wave of violence.
“The scale of violence and insecurity have hampered the ability of our Office fully to discharge this mandate. Nevertheless, with our assistance, trials were held that resulted in the conviction of a warlord and former militiamen for war crimes and crimes against humanity for murder, torture, rape and sexual slavery,” Al-Nashif said.
“Let me underline with grave concern that, since the beginning of the year, the UN has documented 602 victims of extrajudicial and summary execution committed by all parties to the conflict in North and South Kivu provinces alone. In Ituri province in the northeast, several groups continue to kill, maim and abduct civilians.”
“Meanwhile, DRC forces and their allies have also attacked civilians. Conflict-related sexual violence continues to run rampant and is being committed by all parties. Cases increased by more than 270 per cent from January to February,” she said.
Close to 26 million people, nearly a quarter of the population of the country, are experiencing emergency and crisis levels of food insecurity. In total, nearly 7.8 million people are displaced in the DRC, including 3.8 million in the Kivu provinces alone. Thousands of schools have been closed, destroyed, turned into emergency shelters or occupied by armed groups, and more than 1.6 million children in the eastern DRC are no longer in education
“Any plans for a sustainable peace must tackle the root causes of the conflict, including the illegal exploitation of the national wealth that lies in natural resources. The DRC authorities must also take a firm and consistent stand against corruption, impunity, and hate speech, by whomever committed,” she said.
The Deputy High Commissioner said that the transitional justice processes needed accelerating, including towards the finalization of inclusive national consultations. The DRC's national policy on transitional justice – developed with the support of UN Human Rights Office – carries the potential for meaningful future truth and reconciliation efforts.
“As an Office, we will continue to support this work wherever possible. This involves the provision of forensic expertise, logistical and financial resources, and support to victims and witnesses. We are also committed to supporting the reform of the Penal Code to integrate provisions that make hate speech a full-fledged offence,” Al-Nashif said.
“After almost three decades of war, and over six million deaths, it should be abundantly clear that there is no military solution to this conflict.”
Adding that the people of the DRC need local, national, and regional actors to demonstrate leadership and prioritise dialogue over self-interest, greed and violence. The international community must also take decisive, concrete and urgent action to facilitate a durable peace in the DRC.
“States and private companies that profit from natural resources exploited under dangerous and illegal conditions must stop hiding behind complex and shadowy supply chains,” she said.
“Without concrete action, current violence may well engulf the entire region. The risks of such catastrophe are growing by the day.”
Al-Nashif said there must be accountability for the extreme scale of suffering of civilians in the DRC. It is time for the international community to send a strong and unequivocal message to all parties that the violations and abuses, many potentially amounting to international crimes, must cease and be effectively addressed.
ENDS
For more information and media requests, please contact:
In Geneva
Liz Throssell: + 41 22 917 9296 / elizabeth.throssell@un.org
Jeremy Laurence: +41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org
Tag and share
Facebook unitednationshumanrights
Instagram @unitednationshumanrights
STORY: UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights Nada Al-Nashif on DRC at Human Rights Council
TRT: 03:42
SOURCE: UNTV / OHCHR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: English/NATS
ASPECT RATIO: 16:9
DATELINE: 01-04-2025 GENEVA, SWITZERLAND
SHOTLIST
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk addressed the Human Rights Council during a meeting on the Israeli strike on negotiators in Qatar on Tuesday. “Israel’s strike on negotiators in Doha on 9 September was a shocking breach of international law, an assault on regional peace and stability, and a blow against the integrity of mediation and negotiating processes around the world,” he said.
1
1
1
Edited News | UNICEF
Gaza: Thirsty and starving, war-battered families face ‘inhumane’ evacuation
As bombs continue to fall on Gaza City as part of the intensifying Israeli military operation, families with starving children are being pushed southwards from one “hellscape” to another, the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
New UN Human Rights report finds 10 years of increased suffering repression and fear
The UN Human Rights Office on Friday published a report on the human rights situation in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) since 2014.
1
1
2
Edited News | UNICEF , UNHCR
The ongoing humanitarian response to the devastating Afghanistan earthquake disaster continued on Friday, although essential services have been cut for operational reasons following reinforced Taliban restrictions on women working with the UN, the global body said.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
Un nouveau rapport du Haut-Commissariat des Nations Unies aux droits de l'homme sur la République démocratique du Congo évoque le spectre de crimes de guerre et de crimes contre l'humanité dans le Nord et le Sud-Kivu.,
2
1
2
Press Conferences , Edited News | HRC
A high-level independent rights probe into the Sudan crisis on Tuesday condemned the many grave crimes committed against civilians by all parties to the war, citing disturbing evidence indicating that they had been “deliberately targeted, displaced and starved”.
1
1
1
Edited News | WHO
Ukraine: ‘Relentless’ attacks rattle health system as winter approaches: WHO
Ambulances attacked, chronically ill patients lacking care and no peace in sight: for millions of Ukrainians, the run-up to another winter of war is just the latest life-or-death challenge they face, the UN health agency (WHO) said on Tuesday.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his report on Sri Lanka to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR , UNOG
UN Human Rights Chief Volker Türk on Monday delivered his global update to the 60th session of the Human Rights Council in Geneva.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
A UN report on the Democratic Republic of Congo raises specter of war crimes and crimes against humanity in North and South Kivu, according to UN Human Rights Spokesperson Ravina Shamdasani.
1
1
1
Edited News | WMO
As billions of people continue to breathe polluted air that causes more than 4.5 million premature deaths every year, UN climate experts on Friday highlighted how damaging microscopic smoke particles from wildfires play their part, travelling half-way across the world.
1
1
1
Edited News | OHCHR
UN Human Rights Office Spokesperson Jeremy Laurence made the following comment on the on-going presidential election process in Cameroon at the bi-weekly press briefing in Geneva.