ICC prosecutor says decades of DR Congo atrocities require special court

Members of the M23 movement stand guard during an enrollment of civilians, police officers, and former members of the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of Congo (FARDC) who allegedly decided to join the M23 movement voluntarily in Goma on February 23, 2025. [AFP]

International courts have failed to stop three decades of atrocities in the conflict-torn eastern Democratic Republic of Congo, showing a special tribunal is needed, the International Criminal Court (ICC) chief prosecutor said Wednesday.

The eastern DRC, the scene of decades of relentless conflict, has been plunged into fresh turmoil as fighters from the M23 group backed by Rwanda seize swathes of territory in the provinces of North and South Kivu.