Perpetrators of DR Congo crisis must be punished to find peace

Yet, DRC is among the five poorest nations in the world. One in six people living in extreme poverty in Africa are Congolese. Congolese girls are twice as likely to have children or get married than finish their secondary education.

Several armed groups have caused the exodus of over 7 million internally displaced people and one in four Congolese are dependent on humanitarian assistance. Despite Goma’s lucrative position within the Congo, it remains one of the most dangerous places to live. Over 100 armed groups operate in the region.

Chinese, South African, American and other foreign companies are heavily invested in mining and exporting Congolese minerals. Backed by governments within the region and beyond, it is these interests that have undermined the emergence of a state capable of regulating its wealth.

Following the Rwanda backed M23 military campaign to seize Goma in January 2025, the fighting between the armed group and the Congolese army has triggered serious violations of humanitarian law.

Indiscriminate bombing and attacks on civilians have led to deaths, torture, rape and looting. Observers estimate between 900 and 2,000 human beings may have been killed recently and 700,000 people are on the run. Food, water and electricity is either scarce or unavailable and humanitarian agencies cannot access all those in need. 

Once again, both the Congolese army, its allied armed groups and the M23 and their supporters have violated obligations to protect civilians, facilitate access to humanitarian assistance and free movement. Unless interrupted, the predictable pattern of conflict - peace agreement – conflict, so familiar to most weary Congolese, seems set to repeat.

While peace is paramount, lack of accountability breeds impunity and leaves the door open for future human rights abuses without consequences. Tired of the last 30 years of impunity, 76 Congolese, regional and international human rights organisations publicly wrote to the UN Human Rights Council this week. They have demanded the body establishes a mechanism to thoroughly investigate and independently report on the human rights violations.

The joint statement calls for the violations to be treated as crimes against humanity under international law and perpetrators held individually accountable.

The UN Human Rights Council session scheduled to take place yesterday had been requested by the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Kenya is among the new members of the council. The CSO statement deserves to be read not just in Geneva but by Heads of States attending the joint EAC-SADC summit in Dar es Salaam today. 

Thirty years of conflict without consequences has sowed seeds of conflict once more. If there is one simple lesson the leaders sitting together today must internalise, it is this. Durable peace is not possible, if negotiators remain concerned only with peace. The current conflict is not an accident or an act of nature.

It is the harvest of not holding those that wage war against civilians to account. To end war and conflict in the DRC, they must find the courage to end impunity. Unless this happens, Goma’s name will remain synonymous with “Ngoma” and the drums of war will continue to beat with devastating consequences for the people of Congo.