Call for an end to the violence and impunity in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)

Geneva, Switzerland, 18 February 2025 – Following the takeover by the March 23 Movement (M23) of the city of Bukavu in South Kivu on Friday 14^th February, TRIAL International has fully suspended its activities in the province to mitigate safety and security risks to our staff, partners, victims and survivors. We hope to resume our activities as soon as the situation allows.

We are deeply concerned about the current situation and the escalation of violence in Bukavu and other parts of eastern DRC. The region has been plagued by repeated cycles of violence for the past 30 years, marked by large scale human rights violations, for which many victims are still awaiting justice and reparations. This new cycle of violence brings another major humanitarian crisis and threatens years of progresses made by Congolese authorities towards justice and the rule of law.

We urge all parties and the international community to take immediate actions to end the violence, protect civilians and find a durable solution for peace. It remains of the utmost importance to support the documentation and investigation of reported violations of ongoing international human rights and humanitarian law, collect and preserve evidence of international crimes, and identify those responsible for atrocities to contribute to efforts to hold them accountable.