• Human Rights in the Democratic Republic of Congo

    A new rebel group, known as M23, threw eastern Congo into chaos. Started by Gen. Bosco Ntaganda, wanted by the International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes against humanity, as well as other defectors from the Congolese army, the group executed and raped civilians and recruited child soldiers. M23 received significant support from Rwanda and briefly occupied the eastern Congolese town of Goma, triggering a regional crisis and prompting discussions of bolstered international peacekeeping. In the battle for the town, both M23 and Congolese armed forces committed grave abuses. The events showcased the lingering weakness of the government of President Joseph Kabila following the flawed 2011 elections.

  • Congolese warlord Bosco Ntaganda looks on during his first appearance before judges at the International Criminal Court in the Hague on March 26, 2013.
    © 2013 Reuters
    DR Congo: Victims, Activists Respond to Warlord’s Surrender

    Congolese human rights activists and victims of abuses allegedly carried out by Bosco Ntaganda’s troops have expressed support and relief at the rebel leader’s transfer to the International Criminal Court.

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Democratic Republic of Congo

  • Letter to DR Congo President Joseph Kabila on Ending Impunity for Grave Human Rights Abuses
    May 8, 2013
  • DR Congo: Victims, Activists Respond to Warlord’s Surrender
    Mar 26, 2013

    Congolese human rights activists and victims of abuses allegedly carried out by Bosco Ntaganda’s troops have expressed support and relief at the rebel leader’s transfer to the International Criminal Court.

  • DR Congo: Warlord Ntaganda at ICC a Victory for Justice
    Mar 25, 2013
    The Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda’s first appearance before the International Criminal Court on March 26, 2013, will be a major achievement on the path to ending human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
  • DR Congo: Bosco Ntaganda’s Trail of Atrocities Ends at the ICC
    Mar 22, 2013
    The Congolese rebel leader Bosco Ntaganda is on a plane to The Hague, where he will face justice at the International Criminal Court, almost seven years after the court issued its first arrest warrant against him.
  • DR Congo: Congolese Warlord Should Face Justice
    Mar 18, 2013
    The Rwandan Minister of Foreign Affairs today announced that Bosco Ntaganda, a Congolese rebel leader wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity, surrendered himself to the United States embassy in Kigali, Rwanda.
  • US: Act to Protect Children in Conflict
    Feb 5, 2013
    The United States government should promptly carry out the recommendations of a United Nations committee of experts to improve protection of children abroad from armed conflict, Human Rights Watch said today. The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child released a report and recommendations to the US government on February 5, 2013.
  • DR Congo: War Crimes by M23, Congolese Army
    Feb 5, 2013
    M23 rebels and Congolese army soldiers raped scores of women and committed other war crimes during the rebels’ occupation of Goma in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo in late 2012. Ongoing talks among parties to the conflict, countries in the region, and the United Nations should ensure that any agreements include holding those responsible for war crimes to account and that rebel commanders with abusive records do not serve in the Congolese army.
  • Letter to the Chairperson of the African Union
    Jan 21, 2013
  • AU Summit: Rights Key for Addressing Crises
    Jan 21, 2013
    The African Union (AU) should make human rights central to its discussions about crises situations in Africa at its summit meeting this week in Ethiopia, Human Rights Watch said today in an open letter to the AU chairperson, Dr. Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The Ordinary Summit begins on January 21, 2013, and AU heads of state are due to meet on January 27 and 28 in Addis Ababa.
  • Ending the cycle of abuse in Congo
    Jan 2, 2013
    On Nov. 19, armed men from a rebel group called the M23 were looking for a prominent civil society leader in a village outside Goma, a provincial capital in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. He'd been in hiding for several weeks after receiving text messages threatening him for his public denunciations of M23 abuses. When the rebels didn't find him, they shot his colleague, killing him.
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