Gross rights violations, possibly including war crimes and crimes against humanity, may have been committed by the Rwanda-backed M23 militia and the Congolese military and its affiliates in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), according to United Nations investigators.
A fact-finding mission by the UN Human Rights Office said on Friday that it has determined that all sides in the devastating conflict had committed abuses since late 2024, including summary executions and rampant sexual violence in the provinces of North and South Kivu.
While multiple human rights bodies and the UN have accused parties in the DRC conflict of gross atrocities, this is the first UN report to find that those abuses may have constituted crimes against humanity.
“The atrocities described in this report are horrific,” said UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk in a statement, calling for accountability for victims.
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