DR Congo takes Rwanda to international court over decades of conflict

The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbour of breaching multiple international treaties. In a statement, DR Congo said Rwanda had dispatched forces and backed armed groups to carry out unlawful military operations on its territory following the 1994 Rwandan genocide. On Friday, Congolese Justice Minister Guillaume Andali said his country is seeking accountability for alleged breaches of conventions covering genocide prevention, racial discrimination, women's rights and torture. Rwanda has not yet responded to DR Congo's filing, but it has long-dismissed evidence that it backs rebel groups in the country. UN experts and Western governments are among various parties who say Rwanda is supporting the M23, a major armed group in DR Congo's east. The country's application asks the ICJ, based in the Netherlands, to order Rwanda to cease its alleged crimes and award reparations to the Congolese authorities and its victims. The ICJ will now examine the claims. This is not the first time DR Congo has filed a case against Rwanda at the ICJ. An initial case was dropped by the Congolese authorities in 2001. In 2006 the ICJ dismissed a second case, saying it could not proceed because Rwanda had not recognised its jurisdiction. The decades-long conflict in DR Congo is rooted in the 1994 Rwandan genocide. …