The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a complaint at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, accusing the Rwandan army and M23 rebels of plundering the natural resources in the east of the country.
The complaint by the justice ministry said: ‘’The government of the DRC remains deeply concerned about the suffering of the populations in the part of its territory affected by the acts referred to in this case.”
For over a year, M23 rebels have seized territory in North Kivu province and moved close to the regional hub of Goma, forcing more than one million people to flee their homes.
The Minister of State in charge of Justice, Rose Mutombo, who filed the complaint said the plundering is a serious violation of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.
The ICC is already investigating crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) during the Second Congo War in 2004 and its aftermath, including the Ituri and Kivu conflicts.
Rwanda has repeatedly denied accusations from the DRC of backing the M23 fighters.
It is unclear if this complaint will add any new trajectory to the ongoing investigations.
ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is expected to visit Kinshasa and Congolese provinces affected by rebel groups from May 28 to May 31.
