Lawyers representing Congolese citizens, including those from the former Katanga region, have filed a case against the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo at the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
Lawyers representing Congolese citizens, including people from the former Katanga region, have filed a complaint against the Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) before the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague, Netherlands.
The complaint, submitted on July 10, 2026, alleges that the DRC government is responsible for 11 acts that the lawyers say constitute crimes against humanity committed in different parts of the country.
Among the incidents cited are the deaths of hundreds of inmates and numerous injuries during the 2024 attempted prison break at Makala Prison, as well as alleged killings in Lubumbashi, Kolwezi, and other parts of the former Katanga region.
Lawyer Hervé Diakiese claimed that members of the Force du Progrès youth movement, affiliated with the ruling UDPS party, together with individuals from President Félix Tshisekedi’s ethnic community, the Luba, played a role in the alleged crimes.
Diakiese stated: “There are statements reflecting a sense of superiority among some members of the President’s ethnic group. Such remarks have been made by government officials and individuals exercising state authority, claiming that the Luba, or more precisely the people of Kasai, not only hold power but ‘are the power itself.’”
Another lawyer, Bernard Maingain, argued that while Congolese citizens continue to face repression, the country’s judicial institutions have failed to take action, which is why he and his colleagues decided to submit the case to the ICC in The Hague.
Maingain said: “Article 15 of the Rome Statute has been fully respected. The complaint was filed by lawyers, and therefore no one should prevent it from proceeding. No one can claim that it should not be accepted.”
The complaint was also filed in Belgium because some of the individuals named in the case are Belgian citizens. The next step will be for the relevant authorities to examine the complaint and determine whether the allegations warrant the opening of a formal investigation or whether no investigation is necessary.
