Civils in DR Congo face persistent human rights violations

The 63rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council opened in Geneva, Switzerland, this Monday, providing a platform for the UN to review human rights situations worldwide.

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

Documented abuses, but perpetrators rarely prosecuted

Human rights groups describe the situation in the DRC as deeply concerning, both in the east, partially controlled by the AFC/M23, and in the west, administered by Congolese authorities.

“The United Nations, along with international and local organizations, continue to document these human rights violations. In government-controlled territory, individuals are held in official prisons or secret cells without knowing the charges against them. Those responsible for these abuses within state institutions are rarely brought to justice,” explains Jean-Claude Katende, president of the African Association for the Defense of Human Rights (ASADHO). The organization persistently condemns this impunity.

CNDH calls for sanctions against AFC/M23

The National Human Rights Commission (CNDH) attributes the most extreme human rights violations primarily to the AFC/M23. The CNDH reiterates its appeal to the international community to impose sanctions on the rebels.

“We deplore the extreme human rights violations and attacks on the right to life in the zone occupied by M23 rebels. These are violations that strike at the very core of human rights. Of course, across the entire national territory, we will demonstrate in Geneva that there 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 DRC are primarily demanding action. For them, the key issue remains justice: documenting violations, identifying perpetrators, and ending impunity.