Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) has launched fresh legal action against neighbouring Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing Kigali of violating multiple international treaties through its alleged involvement in the decades-long conflict that has devastated eastern Congo and displaced millions of people.

In an application submitted to the United Nations’ highest judicial body, the Congolese government alleges that Rwanda has committed and facilitated serious violations of international law, including breaches of conventions on the prevention of genocide, racial discrimination and torture.

Kinshasa argues that the alleged actions have fuelled more than three decades of violence in the country’s eastern provinces, where armed conflict has repeatedly triggered humanitarian crises and widespread civilian suffering.

The case marks the third attempt by the DRC to bring Rwanda before the ICJ over the conflict, highlighting the persistence of tensions between the two neighbouring countries despite years of regional diplomacy and international mediation efforts.

In its filing, Congo accuses Rwanda of dispatching its own forces onto Congolese territory and backing or directing armed groups to carry out unlawful military operations following the 1994 Rwandan genocide.

According to the Congolese government, these actions have contributed to a pattern of grave abuses against civilians that includes massacres, extrajudicial killings, torture, sexual violence, forced displacement and discrimination.

The allegations span more than three decades and reflect one of Africa’s longest-running and deadliest conflicts, which has claimed countless lives and uprooted millions of people across the mineral-rich eastern part of the country.

Kinshasa is asking the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order Rwanda to immediately cease the alleged violations of international law and to award reparations to both the Congolese state and victims affected by the violence.

The International Court of Justice confirmed that it had received Congo’s application, formally initiating proceedings that could develop into one of the most closely watched interstate legal disputes before the court.

The Rwandan government has not responded immediately to the recent submission. Rwanda has always denied supporting armed organisations operating in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, citing the persistent presence of armed elements linked to the 1994 genocide perpetrators as a source of security concern.

Nevertheless, United Nations experts and several Western governments have repeatedly concluded that Rwanda has provided support to the M23 rebel movement, one of the most powerful armed groups currently operating in eastern Congo. Kigali has denied those findings.

The latest legal move comes at a time when insecurity remains acute across North Kivu, South Kivu and neighbouring provinces, where clashes involving M23 and other armed groups have displaced hundreds of thousands of civilians and intensified regional diplomatic tensions.

The roots of the conflict stretch back to the aftermath of the 1994 Rwandan genocide, when remnants of the forces responsible for the killings crossed into what was then Zaire, now the Democratic Republic of Congo. Their presence contributed to years of regional instability, drawing neighbouring countries into successive wars and giving rise to dozens of armed movements that continue to operate in eastern Congo.

Despite multiple peace agreements, military operations and international interventions over the past three decades, violence has persisted, with competition over mineral resources, ethnic tensions and cross-border security concerns continuing to fuel instability.

Third Legal Bid Revives DRC-Rwanda Dispute

The new application represents Congo’s third effort to seek legal redress against Rwanda before the International Court of Justice.

The first case, initiated in the late 1990s, was withdrawn by the Congolese authorities in 2001 before the court reached a final determination. A second attempt ended unsuccessfully in 2006 when the ICJ ruled that it lacked jurisdiction because Rwanda had either not ratified certain international treaties cited by Congo, had entered reservations to them or had not accepted the court’s jurisdiction under the relevant legal instruments.

Learning from those earlier setbacks, Congolese authorities have now structured their latest application around multiple international conventions that they argue provide a sufficient legal basis for the court to hear the case.

Among the treaties cited are conventions relating to the prevention of genocide, the elimination of racial discrimination and the prohibition of torture. Congo contends that Rwanda’s alleged conduct constitutes serious violations of these international obligations and warrants judicial intervention by the World Court.

Should the ICJ determine that it has jurisdiction, the case could take several years to proceed through written submissions, preliminary objections, hearings and eventual judgment.

While the court does not prosecute individuals or impose criminal penalties, its judgments on disputes between states are legally binding under international law.

A ruling in Congo’s favour could require Rwanda to halt actions found to violate international obligations and potentially provide reparations if the court concludes that responsibility has been established.