UN human rights chief urges immediate end to eastern DRC conflict

Volker Türk, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, issued an urgent appeal on Thursday for an immediate cessation of the escalating hostilities in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The intense fighting pits the Congolese army against the M23 anti-government armed group, causing widespread alarm.

Expressing profound concern, Türk highlighted that despite ongoing peace process agreements, relentless combat persists across eastern DRC. This violence continues to claim lives, inflict injuries, displace countless civilians, and devastate essential livelihoods.

The eastern DRC region has endured over three decades of conflict. Currently, the Congolese armed forces are battling the M23 armed group in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu, where the rebel faction has seized substantial swathes of territory.

Particularly in South Kivu, the intensity of clashes has noticeably increased since an Ebola epidemic was officially declared in the neighboring Ituri province in mid-May.

My office documented severe skirmishes around Mulima village in Fizi, South Kivu, on July 4th and 5th, underscoring the volatile situation.

Türk implored both the Congolese armed forces and the M23 to immediately cease all further acts of violence and take urgent steps to de-escalate tensions. He specifically called upon both factions to implement concrete measures to safeguard civilians in Mulima and throughout the entire Fizi and Mwenga highlands region.

The High Commissioner emphasized that the deployment of wide-area explosive weapons in populated areas has devastating consequences and must be halted without delay.

In light of this pervasive violence, the UN expresses grave concerns regarding potential new waves of civilian displacement, including movements towards neighboring countries. Furthermore, there is apprehension about fresh violations of international human rights law, encompassing unlawful executions and conflict-related sexual violence.

Türk reiterated that both warring parties and their respective allies bear clear obligations under international humanitarian law to ensure safe, swift, and unhindered access for humanitarian aid to all individuals requiring assistance.

Additionally, he urged Rwanda to discontinue its support for the M23 and withdraw its troops from the DRC. Concurrently, Türk called upon Congolese authorities to redouble their ongoing efforts to demobilize, disarm, and repatriate members of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) armed group, which comprises former officials implicated in the 1994 Rwandan genocide who sought refuge in the DRC.