Kinshasa, July 7th, 2025 (CPA).- The Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo has expressed its desire to see the international community take action in favour of ‘immediate, credible and independent’ justice regarding the on-going massacres in the east of the country, during a meeting on Monday in Kinshasa, has learned from official sources.
‘The Congolese people deserve immediate, credible and independent justice, not justice that is delayed or conditional on budgetary considerations. It is time that the international community transforms its commitments into concrete actions, so that the truth can finally shed light on the dark areas of our history,’ has declared Gracia Yamba Kazadi, Deputy Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs. « The discussions have also focused on a brief analysis of the Washington Agreement from a human rights perspective. In the same context, the role of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in supporting the institutional reforms underway has been welcomed by the Congolese Government, » she has added during her participation in a round table organised at the headquarters of the UN mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) on the promotion and protection of fundamental rights.
A similar message had been sent some days ago by the Minister in charge of Foreign Affairs, Therese Kayikwamba, during a press briefing in Kinshasa, emphasising on the Congolese Government’s commitment not to back down in its efforts to prosecute the perpetrators of massacres and rapes committed in areas under Rwandan occupation. ‘The agreement is not intended to humiliate a partner. It does not mean that we are giving up on truth or justice. The reports are damning. The truth is known. What we must now build is a solid ecosystem capable of ensuring that justice is done, that responsibilities are established, and that violations are not repeating anymore,’ she has declared. The Head of State had also promised to continue advocating for justice for the millions of Congolese who have perished in this unjust war, despite the Washington peace agreement.
‘We will continue to demand justice for the victims and that those responsible for the atrocities be held accountable for their actions,’ he had reassured in his message on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of Independence. Very recently, 289 cases of murder and summary executions, 270 cases of physical torture and 102 cases of rape, committed in the space of a month between May 9th and June 16th, 2025, in territories occupied by the Rwandan army and its M23 auxiliaries, have been denounced by the government, according to the report of the 48th Council of Ministers. This heavy toll is in addition to the 8,500 Congolese killed by the occupiers when they entered the city of Goma, the martyred capital of Nord-Kivu province. CPA/