KINSHASA, DRC – International Criminal Court (ICC) Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) in a bid to find a lasting solution to the ongoing conflict in the country.
The Office of the Prosecutor (OTP) of the International Criminal Court (ICC) has already launched an urgent call for information and cooperation from all partners on the situation in the DRC.
In October 2024, Prosecutor Khan announced that the Office is renewing its investigative efforts in the DRC, with a priority focus on alleged Rome Statute crimes committed in North Kivu since January 1, 2022.
According to the Hague-based court, this investigation is active and continues with urgency and focus.
“Just like the rest of the world, we are extremely worried about the recent developments in the DRC. We know that the situation, particularly in the eastern DRC, is acute. Hundreds of people are reportedly dead and thousands injured, and the message has to be conveyed very clearly,” Khan told journalists after landing in the capital, Kinshasa.
25.6M people in DRC are facing acute food insecurity.Violence is escalating in the east, roads are cut off, Goma airport remains closed & food stocks are critically low.@WFP is ready to deliver. We need: ▪️Cessation of violence ▪️Urgent funding ▪️Safe humanitarian access
Why armed groups and forces in DRC are in hot water
The prosecutor warned that any armed group, any armed forces, or any allies of any armed groups or armed forces don’t have a blank check, and so they must comply with international humanitarian law.
“And I am very clear right now that the law must be seen to be effective. All individuals must comply with the Rome Statute. No one can attack civilians, hurt people, or kill people, and this is the moment that we shall see if the international criminal law can withstand the demands of the people of the DRC insist upon,” explained Prosecutor Khan.
The Office, Khan disclosed, is closely following current events, including the grave escalation of violence over the past weeks in eastern DRC, in particular in and around the provincial capital of North Kivu, Goma.
Prosecutor Khan observed that the people of the DRC are as precious as the people anywhere on God’s good earth.
“You’re as precious as the people of Ukraine, as precious as the people of Israel or Palestine, the Gaza, and the women of Afghanistan, and so I am here to follow up with President Félix Tshisekedi,” explained Khan.
Who are the other people that Karim Khan will meet
He further said that he would hold meetings with government officials and the special representative of the secretary-general, Her Excellency Bintou Keita, and engage with civil society and victims.
Credible sources indicate that thousands of persons have been wounded and hundreds killed in and around Goma, including civilians and peacekeepers, following months of clashes between the Armed Forces of the DRC and the March 23 Movement (“M23”) and their allies.
“The ongoing situation in and around Goma falls within the scope of the OTP’s current investigation. The Office will continue to investigate alleged crimes committed by any person, irrespective of affiliation or nationality, and will not be limited to particular individuals, parties, or members of specific groups,” reads a statement from the OTP.
The OTP is now calling upon all concerned—victims and witnesses, national and international organisations, civil society groups, journalists, national authority counterparts, state parties, and non-state parties—to share with the Office any evidence and information that they have collected or are collecting about allegations of international crimes by all parties.
