The Democratic Republic of the Congo submitted another formal referral to the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Tuesday to guarantee that the court focuses on what it claims is the systematic pillage of its natural resources in eastern Congo by the Rwanda Defence Forces (RDF) and the M23 rebel group.
The ICC has been investigating eastern Congo since 2004, and it is unclear whether the new referral would affect the court's focus. Find out how the conflict in DR Congo started.
"The DRC government remains deeply concerned about the suffering of the populations in the part of its territory affected by the acts referred to in this case," the Congo's Justice Ministry said in a statement.
The purpose of the referral would be to investigate and prosecute anyone involved in human rights breaches between 2022 and 2023, according to the document.
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In March of last year, the Tutsi-led M23 rebel group launched a new onslaught in eastern Congo, taking towns and villages along the Ugandan border. More than a million people were forced to evacuate due to the conflict.
Congo has accused Rwanda of supporting the M23. Rwanda's government has denied any participation.
The prosecutor's office at the ICC has provided no details other than the focus on alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in the Ituri region and the North and South Kivu provinces since July 2002.
The International Criminal Court (ICC) has convicted three Congolese militia leaders, one of the war crimes and the others of war crimes and crimes against humanity, for their roles in atrocities committed in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo.
From May 28 to May 31, ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan is scheduled to visit Kinshasa and the districts of Congo affected by rebel groups.
