The Democratic Republic of Congo has filed a complaint with the International Court of Justice against Rwanda, accusing it of supporting armed groups, particularly the AFC-M23, in the eastern part of the country.
This legal action comes as 27 June marks exactly one year since the DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement in Washington aimed at ending the war in eastern DRC. Despite the deal, clashes continue between the Congolese army and the Rwanda-backed AFC-M23 rebellion in the region.
The United States has also imposed sanctions on several Rwandan officials accused of involvement in the illegal trade of minerals from rebel-controlled areas.
Peace signed on paper, absent on the ground
Kinshasa and Kigali had committed to working together to restore peace in eastern DRC, where AFC-M23 rebels have occupied vast swaths of Congolese territory for more than a year. But on the ground, no significant progress has been observed.
“We expected that after signing this agreement, things would improve, banks would reopen, airports would reopen. Unfortunately, we are still living the same misery,” complained a resident of Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu province.
“We wonder if the influence that the United States once had still exists today. Why can’t the policy applied in the US be applied to our neighbours who are attacking us here in the DRC?” questioned another resident of the same city, while another recalled: “So far, nothing works. When they meet, they show good intentions, but on the ground, the war continues.”
Kigali under fire from sanctions and the court
The DRC accuses Rwanda of having supported armed groups responsible for serious human rights violations in its eastern region for about three decades.
Kinshasa has now taken the case to the International Court of Justice. The Congolese state demands reparations for victims and recognition of Kigali’s responsibility.
The United States, for its part, has imposed sanctions on the Rwandan refinery Gasabo Gold, its executives, and several mining companies accused of trafficking minerals from areas controlled by the AFC-M23 in eastern DRC.
Washington says this trafficking funds the rebellion’s activities. However, some analysts believe these sanctions are not effective.
“The general perception is that these sanctions do not seem sufficient to change the strategic calculation of the actors involved. As long as the cost of confrontation remains lower than the cost of concession, the actors maintain a status quo that remains attractive to them,” said Yvon Muya, a conflict studies expert at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, Canada.
Towards a new military escalation
Peace is far from returning, as exchanges of fire are almost daily in some areas.
Professor Bob Kabamba, a lecturer at the University of Liège in Belgium, believes the belligerents are instead preparing for a new confrontation.
“It is during this time that each side tries to reorganise, rearm, and prepare for what could be called the final battle to determine whether the government will manage to recover the territories conquered by the rebellion, or whether the rebellion will advance towards Katanga and thus put pressure on the Kinshasa regime.”
For more than a year, AFC-M23 rebels have occupied the cities of Goma and Bukavu, as well as several other localities in the provinces of North Kivu and South Kivu. Clashes continue in this region, worsening the humanitarian situation for thousands of displaced people.
