Congolese Diaspora Group Files ICC Complaint Against Kagame, Kabila and M23 Leaders

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Bruxelles – A Congolese diaspora organisation based in Belgium, Front Uni pour la RDC, says it has filed a complaint with the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague over alleged crimes committed in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The organisation said it submitted the dossier to the Office of the Prosecutor on September 16, naming Rwandan President Paul Kagame, former Congolese President Joseph Kabila, AFC leader Corneille Nangaa, M23 political leader Bertrand Bisimwa and M23 military commander Sultani Makenga.

According to Front Uni, the complaint concerns alleged war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide, including alleged massacres, torture, sexual violence, disappearances and forced displacement in parts of eastern Congo. The organisation says the dossier covers areas including Goma, Bukavu, Rutshuru, Masisi, Nyiragongo, Lubero, Walikale, Kalehe, Kabare and Walungu.

The group alleges that Kagame provided political and military support to the AFC/M23 coalition and accuses Kabila of supporting the coalition. These are allegations contained in the organisation’s submission and have not been established as judicial findings by the ICC.

Front Uni also attributes political and military leadership roles within the AFC/M23 structure to Nangaa, Bisimwa and Makenga. The organisation held a sit-in outside the ICC headquarters after submitting the dossier and called for greater cooperation between Congolese authorities and the court.

The filing does not itself mean that the ICC has opened a case or issued charges against the individuals named. The ICC Prosecutor’s Office would have to assess the information submitted and determine whether any further action is warranted.

The development adds another international legal initiative to efforts to document alleged crimes committed during the long-running conflict in eastern Congo.