DRC: UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity

The Human Rights Council in February this year asked our office to establish a FFM on the escalation of hostilities in North and South Kivu provinces of the DRC. Our report today covers the period between Jan and July 2025. The FFM’s work is also intended to serve as a foundation for the COI mandated by the same resolution, to in turn conduct comprehensive investigations into events since 2022.

“The report finds that gross human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law have been committed by all parties to the conflict: by the M23, supported by Rwandan Defense Forces, as well as Congolese Armed Forces and affiliated armed groups,” Shamdasani said.

The report was produced by the UN Human Rights Office's Fact-Finding Mission (FFM) on the situation in North and South Kivu, as mandated by the UN Human Rights Council.

It documents the failure by all parties to adequately protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, particularly during the takeover of Goma by M23 and RDF in late January, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals.

“The M23 armed group, ‘with training, material, intelligence, and operational support from the Rwandan Defense Forces’, captured major cities in North and South Kivu. The group engaged in a campaign of intimidation and violent repression through a recurrent pattern of summary executions, torture, detention, enforced disappearances and forced recruitment targeting anyone ‘perceived as opposing the M23, regarded as a threat to its notion of order and security, or deemed fit to fight or serve the movement’,” Shamdasani said.

“M23 members also systematically carried out widespread sexual violence, mainly in the form of gang rape, including sexual slavery. Women and girls were disproportionately targeted, but men, boys, and LGBT individuals were also victims of sexual violence, including in detention,” the spokesperson said.

Rapes were repeated over prolonged periods, often in conjunction with additional acts of physical and psychological torture and other ill-treatment, with a manifest intent to degrade, punish, and break the dignity of victims.

“Hundreds of children were detained by M23, and young males forcibly recruited. The report exposes the enormous toll of the conflict on children of all ages,” she added.

The report identifies daily violations across the entirety of the territory under the M23’s control and followed discernible, recurring patterns, indicating a high degree of organization, planning, and resource mobilization.

“We have reasonable grounds to believe that M23 members may have committed (...) the crimes against humanity of murder, severe deprivation of liberty, torture, rape and sexual slavery (...), enforced disappearance, and deportation or forcible transfer of population,” Shamdasani said.

“The report also documents grave violations committed by the DRC armed forces and affiliated armed groups, such as the Wazalendo, including deliberate killing of civilians. It identifies a pattern of widespread use of sexual violence by them as well, mainly gang rape and rape against women and girls, and looting by members of the FARDC, and Wazalendo during their retreat from the front lines in January and February,” the spokesperson stated.

“Wazalendo armed groups recruited children under the age of 15 and used them in hostilities, the report adds. These children were used in combat and in support roles, with girls also being used for sexual purposes,” the spokesperson stated.

“The report further finds that both DRC and Rwanda bear responsibility for their support to armed groups with known track records of serious abuses, and for failing to meet their obligations to take all measures to ensure respect for international humanitarian law and to protect civilians from serious harm,” she stated.

“Specifically, the report stresses that Rwanda is responsible for violations directly committed by its armed forces on the territory of the DRC and notes that the FFM had received “credible allegations concerning the covert presence of RDF personnel within M23,” said the UN Human Rights Spokesperson.

“The report also states that the DRC bears responsibility not only for the violations committed by its armed forces, but also by its affiliated armed groups to the extent that their members acted under its direction or control,” she added.

The report documents the failure by all parties to adequately protect civilians in the conduct of hostilities, particularly during the takeover of Goma by M23 and RDF in late January, as well as attacks on schools and hospitals.

“Our findings underscore the gravity and widespread nature of violations and abuses committed by all parties to the conflict, including acts that may constitute war crimes and crimes against humanity,” Shamdasani said.

“The report highlights the lack of focus on accountability and support for victims in the peace agreement signed between the DRC and Rwanda on June 27,” she said. “The atrocities described in this report are horrific. It is heartbreaking and deeply frustrating to witness, once again, the dehumanization of the civilian population by those in power who are failing in their responsibilities. It is imperative to promptly and independently investigate all allegations of violations with a view to ensuring accountability and victims’ right to truth, justice and reparations, especially guarantees of non-repetition.

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact:

Geneva:
Ravina Shamdasani: + 41 22 917 9169 / ravina.shamdasani@un.org

Jeremy Laurence: + 41 22 917 9383 / jeremy.laurence@un.org

Marta Hurtado: + 41 22 917 9466 / marta.hurtadogomez@un.org

Thameen Al-Kheetan: + 41 76 223 77 62 / thameen.alkheetan@un.org

In Nairobi:

Seif Magango: + 254 788 343 897 / seif.magango@un.org

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