The Democratic Republic of Congo has established a new advisory council comprising international war crimes lawyers to bolster its pursuit of justice for atrocities committed in the country's eastern conflict. The council will advise state institutions on seeking recognition of crimes and reparations for victims.
The formation of this council signifies Congo's intensified commitment to holding perpetrators of atrocities accountable and seeking justice for victims, potentially leading to significant legal and diplomatic developments in the long-standing conflict.
The Democratic Republic of Congo has established a new advisory council, the Council for the Examination of Atrocities in the DRC, to bolster its efforts in seeking international justice for atrocities committed in the country's eastern region. The council comprises senior war crimes lawyers from the United States and Europe, including former U.S. war crimes ambassador Stephen Rapp and former senior ICC official Pascal Turlan.
The council will advise two Congolese state institutions as they work to gain recognition for crimes and secure reparations for victims. It is co-chaired by Congolese human rights activist Julienne Lusenge and British lawyer Howard Morrison, who is also a former judge at the International Criminal Court and the U.N. tribunal for the former Yugoslavia.
This initiative aligns with President Felix Tshisekedi's call for an international commission of inquiry to address the "cycle of impunity" in eastern Congo, a region plagued by decades of conflict involving numerous armed groups and competition for mineral resources. The conflict's roots trace back to the fallout from Rwanda's 1994 genocide, with perpetrators reportedly fleeing into eastern Congo, fueling persistent violence. Last month, Kinshasa filed a case at the International Court of Justice accusing Rwanda of breaching international conventions. Fighting intensified last year with the M23 rebel group, which the UN and Western governments allege is backed by Rwanda, though Kigali denies this.