Amnesty International has condemned the use of explosive weapons in the Democratic Republic of Congo’s populated areas and called for investigations into potential war crimes. The reports indicated that both the M23 rebel group and the Congolese Army have caused significant civilian casualties through indiscriminate attacks, prompting calls for compliance with international humanitarian law and accountability measures for violators.
Amnesty International has issued a call to end the use of explosive weapons in densely populated areas of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), following a press release on Sunday. The organization urged the International Criminal Court to explore the potential for investigating these attacks as war crimes.
The organization reported that both the Rwandan-backed M23 group and the Congolese Army (FARDC) have utilized inaccurate explosive weapons—primarily unguided rocket systems—over 150 times between January and July 2024, resulting in over 100 fatalities. Many of these assaults have occurred near internally displaced persons (IDP) camps and in spaces lacking verifiable military targets.
Amnesty has called upon the conflicting parties to adhere to international humanitarian law (IHL), which forbids actions that adversely affect non-combatants indiscriminately or disproportionally. Furthermore, Article 48 of the Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions delineates the need for combatants to distinguish between civilian populations and military targets. Attacks that cannot be directed at a specific military objective are categorically banned under Article 51.
Agnès Callamard, Secretary-General of Amnesty International, emphasized the importance of accountability by stating, “as the long history of conflict in eastern DRC has shown us, without accountability, human rights and humanitarian law violations will continue.”
Amnesty has also urged the international community—comprising entities with military ties to the DRC and Rwanda, such as the European Union, Belgium, and the United Nations—to ensure that their military support does not perpetuate human rights abuses and IHL violations.
Similarly, Human Rights Watch has alleged that military actions between Rwandan forces and the M23 rebel group have exacerbated the humanitarian crisis, as detailed in a report from September 2024. This report indicated unlawful killings and instances of rape purportedly committed by M23 fighters as early as June 2023, to which Rwanda refuted claims made by the US Department of State regarding the situation as of May 2024, which reported 6.1 million internally displaced individuals.
The use of explosive weapons in populated areas poses severe risks to civilian populations, particularly in conflict zones like the DRC. As parties to the conflict resort to these weapons, both the human toll and the violation of international humanitarian law (IHL) raise critical concerns. Calls for accountability and adherence to IHL are crucial for protecting non-combatants and ensuring that military actions comply with established legal frameworks protecting civilians during warfare.
In summary, Amnesty International has called for an immediate cessation of explosive weapon usage in the DRC’s populated regions and advocated for accountability measures against those responsible for war crimes. The organization emphasizes the necessity for adherence to international humanitarian law to protect civilians from indiscriminate attacks. The international community is urged to ensure that military support does not exacerbate ongoing human rights violations in the region.
Original Source: www.jurist.org
