Civils in DR Congo bear the brunt of ongoing rights abuses

Geneva is hosting the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, which opened on Monday. This session provides the United Nations with an opportunity to review human rights situations across the globe.

In the Democratic Republic of Congo, for instance, human rights violations continue, particularly in the eastern part of the country, where civilian populations suffer numerous abuses, including drone strikes. In the west, several human rights organizations denounce arbitrary arrests and detentions in secret locations.

Documented abuses, but perpetrators rarely prosecuted

Human rights groups describe the situation in the DR Congo as highly concerning, both in the east, which is partially under the control of the AFC/M23, and in the west, which is administered by the Congolese authorities.

“The United Nations continues to document these human rights violations, as do international and local organizations. In the territory administered by the government, there are people currently detained, either in official prisons or in secret cells, without knowing what they are accused of. The members of institutions responsible for these human rights violations are rarely prosecuted,” explains Jean-Claude Katende, president of the African Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADHO). The organization repeatedly condemns this impunity.

CNDH calls for sanctions against AFC/M23

For the National Human Rights Commission (CNDH), the most extreme human rights violations are primarily attributed to the AFC/M23. The CNDH recalls that it has called on the international community to mobilize and impose sanctions against the rebels.

“We deplore the extreme human rights violations and attacks on the right to life in the area occupied by the M23 rebels. These are practically violations that strike at the core of human rights. Of course, across the entire national territory, we will demonstrate in Geneva that these are also human rights violations, but they fall into the traditional category that requires conditions such as a strong economy,” insists Paul Nsapu, president of the CNDH.

Beyond the debates in Geneva, human rights defenders in the DR Congo are primarily calling for action. For them, the key issue remains justice: documenting violations, identifying perpetrators, and ending impunity.