NAIROBI,Kenya,Jun 26- The Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has filed a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), accusing its neighbor of committing genocide and widespread human rights abuses in eastern Zaire and later eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo over a period spanning three decades.

In a statement released on Friday, the Hague-based court confirmed that the DRC had instituted proceedings against Rwanda over what it described as “abuses attributable to Rwanda over a period extending from 1996 to the present day.”

According to the application, the DRC alleges that the abuses formed part of “a campaign of genocide and serious, widespread human rights violations” carried out by the Rwandan authorities in eastern Zaire—now the Democratic Republic of the Congo—and later in eastern DRC.

The application states that the alleged violations primarily targeted Hutus who fled to Zairian territory following the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda.

It further claims that other Congolese communities, including the Nyindu, Bembe, Lega, Nande, Hunde and Bashi ethnic groups, were also affected.

The DRC is asking the ICJ to hear the dispute under several international treaties, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment.

Commenting on the filing, the DRC’s Minister of State in charge of Justice and Keeper of the Seals, Guillaume Ngefa, said the move underscores the country’s faith in international justice.

“On behalf of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, I filed this June 26, 2026, a request before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Rwanda for violation of several international conventions,” he said.

“The DRC reaffirms its confidence in justice and international law.”
The ICJ, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations based at the Peace Palace in The Hague, settles legal disputes between states and issues advisory opinions on questions referred to it by authorized UN bodies.

The court noted that the DRC’s application formally institutes proceedings but does not constitute a determination on the merits of the allegations.

Rwanda’s response to the case had not been included in the ICJ’s announcement.

The full application filed by the DRC has been made available on the ICJ’s website.