New International Advisory Council Launches To Examine 3 Decades Of Atrocities In The DRC 

​

Kinshasa – The Council for the Examination of Atrocities in the DRC (https://CEADRC.org/) has been launched today in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Examining the findings of the 2010 UN mapping report (https://apo-opa.co/4yp6wVu) and recent human rights violations in the ongoing conflict in Eastern DRC, the Council will provide expert insight on the legal and diplomatic processes required to secure formal recognition of atrocities committed over the last three decades, and accountability for their perpetrators.  

The Council is made up of leading figures from across international law, diplomacy and academia.

Alongside its co-chairs, the Council’s members are:

• Patrick Hayford, former Ghanaian career diplomat and Director of the United Nations Office of the Special Adviser on Africa.
• Stephen Rapp, former United States Ambassador-at-Large for War Crimes Issues.
• Nina Jørgensen, British-Norwegian international judge at The Hague and leading academic at the University of Southampton.
• Pascal Turlan, French expert in international criminal justice and accountability, and former official in the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court.

The Council held its inaugural meeting on Monday 13th July 2026.

During the meeting, members were presented with an update on FONAREV and CIA-VAR’s work – specifically their Plus Jamais Seuls; Nos Voix Pour Elles; Ne Pas Oublier advocacy campaigns – as well as their programmes on access to transitional justice, urgent provisional measures in areas still affected by conflict, and rehabilitation initiatives for victims where violence has had lasting impacts.

At UNGA 80 in September 2025, President Tshisekedi used his keynote address (https://apo-opa.co/4pGPsqd) to call on UN member states to recognise a “silent genocide” in the DRC over the past three decades.

He called for an independent international commission of inquiry to help “break the cycle of impunity”, and for UN sanctions against the perpetrators of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide in the east of the country.

In the initial meeting, Julienne Lusenge echoed this domestic sentiment, stating that “the first mission of the Council will be to break the silence”.

Last month, the DRC filed (https://apo-opa.co/4f4FsDq) a petition in the ICJ accusing Rwanda of breaking the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.

The Council members also discussed this, noting that although the Council is independent and separate from this process, it will play a key role advising FONAREV and CIA-VAR on navigating the proceedings as they progress.

“The formation of the Council for the Examination of Atrocities in the DRC marks a further major step in the quest for truth, justice and reparation for the victims of grave crimes committed in the Democratic Republic of Congo,” said Director General of FONAREV, Patrick Fata Makunga.

“Following the government’s filing before the International Court of Justice, the Council is more important than ever; it will provide vital guidance to FONAREV and CIA-VAR as we navigate the ICJ process ahead and any other legal or diplomatic avenues.

“With the guidance of these eminent international figures, we reaffirm that lasting peace cannot be built without recognition of suffering, responsibility and full reparation for victims.”

Executive Coordinator of CIA-VAR, François Kakese Kimaza stated: “The establishment of this Council for the Examination of Atrocities in the DRC ahead of the third annual Genocost Day reflects the shared mission of FONAREV and CIA-VAR to bring before the international community the voice of victims and the demand for truth.

“We are honoured by the calibre of expertise this Council brings together, spanning human rights, international law and diplomacy.

“For CIA-VAR, this step is part of an essential struggle for the international recognition, accountability and reparation of grave crimes committed on our territory, in direct alignment with the national strategy of which CIA-VAR ensures the technical implementation.”

Co-chairs of the Council for the Examination of Atrocities in the DRC, Julienne Lusenge and Sir Howard Morrison KC said: “For the last three decades, atrocities have been inflicted on the Congolese people at a scale reminiscent of the darkest incidents in human history.

“And yet, the stories of victims and survivors – their names and suffering – for too long have been ignored.

“Perpetrators of war crimes were able to act with impunity, shrouded by a veil of apathy amongst the international community who, for 30 years, have failed to provide recourse to formal recognition and justice.

“We are immensely proud to be leading this joint international effort to help find a path to transitional justice for the Congolese people.”

The post New International Advisory Council Launches To Examine 3 Decades Of Atrocities In The DRC appeared first on The Bulrushes.