The Prosecutor General of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, is visiting the DRC. He traveled to Bunia, in Ituri province, and to Bukavu, in South Kivu, two provinces torn apart by violence perpetrated by armed groups. Although similar violence has been committed in North Kivu province, where local and foreign armed groups, such as the ADF and Rwandan M23 forces, are accused of committing large-scale massacres, the ICC PG avoided this area during his visit. The government also recently seized the ICC over atrocities committed by the M23/RDF coalition in North Kivu.
Asked about this visit by ACTUALITE.CD, Professor Eugène Bakama Bope, member of the group of African experts in international criminal justice, commented on the presence of the ICC in the DRC. According to him, the ICC did not produce the expected results in Ituri, where it condemned warlords. Ethnic conflicts unfortunately continue in the region. Mr. Bope also pointed out that although the ICC has enabled the reform of the Congolese penal code in accordance with the Rome Statute, it has not met the expectations of victims, in particular for crimes committed in the east of the country.
Mr. Khan’s visit to the DRC comes shortly after the Congolese government’s request to the ICC to open a thorough investigation into serious human rights violations committed by agents of the RDF coalition and the M23. This request from the DRC could be linked to the visit of the AG of the ICC in the country.
Mr. Bope believes that the ICC has not been able to produce a deterrent effect in the DRC. Furthermore, the Court has only prosecuted a small number of perpetrators in the country, and should be complemented by national trials. The professor also called for the creation of an international criminal tribunal for the DRC due to the scale and gravity of the crimes.
Although the ICC has reduced its staff in the DRC and currently no longer has an ongoing investigation, the government continues to seek to use the court to seek justice for victims of serious crimes.