Mukwege backs DRC’s ICJ case against Rwanda, pushes ICC for individual prosecutions

Nobel Peace Prize laureate and former presidential candidate Denis Mukwege has welcomed the Democratic Republic of Congo’s filing of a case against Rwanda at the International Court of Justice (ICJ). In a statement released on 28 June 2026, he described the move as a significant step toward truth and justice for victims of the conflicts that have ravaged eastern DRC.

Mukwege congratulated Congolese authorities for initiating legal proceedings to denounce alleged violations of international law attributed to Rwanda.

“We welcome the filing of the application submitted to the International Court of Justice by the Minister of Justice of the DRC, denouncing violations of international law and human rights committed by Rwanda directly and through armed groups under its control (AFDL, RCD, CNDP, M23/AFC) in the DRC from 1996 to the present,” he wrote.

While supporting the case before the UN’s highest court, Mukwege also stressed the need for other judicial mechanisms to establish individual criminal responsibility for suspected perpetrators of international crimes.

“In addition to this proceeding before the ICJ, we continue to urge the International Criminal Court to pursue its investigations and prosecutions to establish individual criminal responsibility for suspected perpetrators of crimes under the Rome Statute, with a focus on holding military and political chains of command accountable,” he argued.

The Nobel laureate further called on states to exercise universal jurisdiction to prosecute those suspected of international crimes. He also urged the Congolese government to implement a national transitional justice strategy.

“Finally, we call on states to exercise universal jurisdiction and on the Congolese government to implement a national transitional justice strategy, including the establishment of a special criminal tribunal for the Congo as proposed by the UN Mapping Report,” he continued.

For Mukwege, the pursuit of justice remains essential to preventing future conflicts and building lasting peace in the DRC.

“There is an urgent need to establish the close links between conflict prevention, transitional justice and peacebuilding,” he said.

According to the DRC’s Minister of Justice, Guillaume Ngefa Atondoko Andali, who filed the case at the ICJ in The Hague, Kinshasa expresses full confidence in the Court and reaffirms its determination to uphold the rule of law over force, obtain justice for victims, and work toward a just, lasting peace grounded in accountability.

Since the resurgence of the AFC/M23 and the intensification of Rwandan aggression in eastern DRC, Congolese authorities have insisted that their response will not be limited to military and diplomatic efforts. President Félix Tshisekedi has repeatedly called on the government to strengthen the international judicial front to obtain reparation for damages, prosecute suspected war criminals and perpetrators of crimes against humanity, and systematically document the looting of the DRC’s natural resources.