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African Court of Human Rights Claims Jurisdiction to Hear DRC and Rwanda Conflict

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The Tanzania-based African Court of Human Rights says it is competent to hear a case brought by the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Rwanda. The ruling opens the door to a full hearing into Kinsha’s claims of human rights abuses linked to the long-running conflict in eastern Congo.

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The ruling comes as the DRC and Rwanda prepare to sign a US-brokered peace treaty in Washington on Friday. The agreement involves provisions on respect for territorial integrity and the disarmament of non-state armed groups. 

The Tanzania-based African Court of Human Rights says it is competent to hear a case brought by the Democratic Republic of the Congo against Rwanda.  The ruling opens the door to a full hearing into Kinsha’s claims of human rights abuses linked to the long-running conflict in eastern Congo.

Kigali claimed that national and regional processes hadn’t been fully exhausted, making the referral to the court of human rights premature. But the court’s eleven judges unanimously rejected the argument and instead invited Rwanda to submit its responses on the merits within 90 days.

The ruling comes as the DRC and Rwanda prepare to sign a US-brokered peace treaty in Washington on Friday. The agreement involves provisions on respect for territorial integrity and the disarmament of non-state armed groups.

The deal would also help the US government and American companies gain access to critical minerals in the region. Lauded by President Trump last week as “a Great Day for Africa and… for the World,” the crucial deal comes as part of other ongoing peace talks to end the conflict, including one mediated by the African Union and Qatar.

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With more than 7 million people displaced in Congo, the United Nations has called it “one of the most serious humanitarian crises on Earth.”