The resurgence of conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo has worsened an already dire humanitarian situation in a region where two provinces—North Kivu and Ituri—have been under martial law since May 2021. Despite peace agreements, including the one signed in Washington on June 27, 2025, and ratified by Rwandan and Congolese leaders on November 4, 2025, as well as the Doha framework agreement signed on November 15, 2025, between the Democratic Republic of Congo and the AFC/M23 to halt atrocities in North Kivu and South Kivu, the crisis has persisted. The conflict has since spread to Uvira, exposing the fragility of ceasefire mechanisms.

The armed conflict has resulted in over 10,000 deaths in less than a year, displaced millions of people internally and as refugees, and deepened a severe humanitarian crisis. In this context, defense and security forces, along with various armed groups—particularly the M23/AFC backed by Rwanda—are frequently implicated in grave human rights violations, including acts constituting torture or ill-treatment under Article 7 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.