The Trump administration’s reported efforts to facilitate a peace accord between Rwanda and Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) must prioritize accountability and justice for survivors and victims of the long-running conflict, Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) said today.
An initial “declaration of principles” between DRC and Rwanda published by the U.S. State Department is silent on human rights, reparations, and accountability, though a draft agreement between the parties to the conflict is not yet public.
“In a conflict that has already claimed millions of lives, you cannot ask two countries to manage natural resources together without talking about justice. It’s unthinkable,” Dr Denis Mukwege, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning gynecologist who has cared for survivors of conflict-related sexual violence in DRC, told the RTBF news outlet.
“A durable peace is not possible without meaningful justice for the victims and survivors of the horrific conflict in eastern DRC,” said Payal Shah, JD, director of research, legal, and advocacy for PHR. “If the negotiators omit human rights and accountability for perpetrators from this peace accord, then it risks becoming merely an extractive settlement, largely to the benefit of foreign powers. The United States must not turn its back on the thousands of war victims – including children, women, and men who survived conflict-related sexual violence – in order to obtain access to DRC’s mineral wealth.”
On May 1st, news broke of a new peace accord being pursued between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Both sides are reported to have submitted draft agreements, which the U.S. has consolidated into one agreement for finalization. This agreement was facilitated by the United States, which stands to benefit substantially from the bilateral mineral deals that would accompany the accord.
The accord aims to enable peace after years of violence following the reemergence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group in 2021, which led to the perpetration of atrocities, thousands of deaths, and widespread and systematic conflict-related sexual violence that affected tens of thousands of individuals, including disproportionately women and children in eastern DRC.
For survivors of sexual violence, however, the promise of peace currently remains illusory as both the Declaration of Principles and those governments engaged in negotiating the draft agreements fail to meaningfully address justice, reparations, and accountability.
Currently, survivors of conflict-related sexual violence have limited to no avenues to pursue justice in DRC. The judicial system in North and South Kivu is facing a concerning paralysis, due to the unavailability of several of its key actors and justice officials. Similarly, health workers in both North and South Kivu report to PHR that ongoing violence has impeded access to critical health services for survivors of sexual violence, including post-exposure prophylaxis kits to prevent infection with HIV after rape and documentation of forensic evidence of sexual violence. These barriers are only being further impeded by the U.S. government’s foreign aid cuts. DRC was one of the largest recipients of U.S. aid, which accounted for 70 percent of the funding for all humanitarian projects in the country.
As PHR partner Dr. Denis Mukwege noted, there is no peace without justice. PHR calls on all parties to the conflict to abide by UN Security Council Resolution 2773 (2025), which strongly condemns perpetration of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence in eastern DRC and reiterates that perpetrators of violations of international humanitarian law and abuses of human rights must be held accountable. Under international law, survivors of sexual and gender-based violence have the right to access legal remedies for the violations they suffered, including comprehensive reparations. Survivors are also guaranteed reparations under DRC’s own Law 22/065 on the protection and reparation of victims of conflict-related sexual violence and victims of crimes against the peace and security of humanity.
PHR calls on all parties involved in the peace negotiations to ensure any agreed upon peace framework results in :
- Durable peace and an end to hostilities, including the establishment of monitoring mechanisms and a cessation of all forms of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence.
- A commitment to transitional justice that is survivor-centered, inclusive, and aligned to international standards.
- Commitment by all parties to condemn any act of conflict-related sexual and gender-based violence, including against women and children.
- Restored and meaningful access to essential services for survivors, including medical care for injuries, sexual and reproductive health services, support for forensic documentation of sexual violence, case management support, mental health services, and protection services.
- Re-established pathways for justice and accountability, including commitments to ensure the presence of police and judicial officers to enable prosecution of conflict-related sexual violence, support for survivors who wish to report conflict-related sexual violence, and investigations, prosecution, and removal for service of those responsible for violations.
Background:
For the past 14 years, PHR has worked in DRC to strengthen the capacity of doctors, psychologists, nurses, police, lawyers, and magistrates to document forensic medical evidence of sexual violence, preserve it in a court-admissible form, and use it to prosecute perpetrators. To date, PHR and our partners have trained hundreds of Congolese medical, legal, law enforcement, and justice professionals in the use of good practices concerning the collection, storage, and transmission of this critical evidence.
In October 2024, PHR published an investigation finding that the escalating conflict in the eastern DRC caused a “massive influx” of widespread sexual violence perpetrated by the DRC military, armed groups associated with neighboring countries, United Nations (UN) peacekeepers, and community members.
Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) is a New York-based advocacy organization that uses science and medicine to prevent mass atrocities and severe human rights violations. Learn more here.