Democratic Republic of the Congo: Open Letter to the African Union Summit

Key Chapter Title List

1. Existing Efforts of the AU and Related Mechanisms in Addressing the Crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC)
2. Nature of the Armed Conflict and Current Status of Human Rights Violations in Eastern DRC
3. Humanitarian Crisis Situation in North Kivu and South Kivu Provinces
4. Core Action Recommendations for the AU Peace and Security Council (1): Deployment of a Fact-Finding Mission
5. Core Action Recommendations for the AU Peace and Security Council (2): Ceasefire and Peacekeeping Reinforcement
6. Core Action Recommendations for the AU Peace and Security Council (3): Protection of Human Rights Defenders
7. Core Action Recommendations for the AU Peace and Security Council (4): Accountability for Violations
8. Core Action Recommendations for the AU Peace and Security Council (5): Guarantee of Humanitarian Corridors
9. Core Action Recommendations for the AU Peace and Security Council (6): Protection and Empowerment of Women's Rights
10. Addressing Root Causes to Promote Lasting Resolution of Regional Conflicts

Document Introduction

On February 12, 2025, 30 organizations from the DRC, Africa, and the international community jointly submitted an open letter to the 38th Summit of the African Union (AU), urging the AU Peace and Security Council (PSC) to take decisive action regarding the severe situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) at its thematic meeting scheduled for February 14. This open letter, led by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH), directly addresses the escalating armed conflict, systematic human rights violations, and humanitarian disaster in eastern DRC. It emphasizes the need to respond to the crisis through political and judicial means and to establish an independent fact-finding mission.

The core trajectory of the conflict involves the resumption of armed activities by the March 23 Movement (M23) in late 2021, leading to confrontations between the M23 (reportedly supported by the Rwandan Defense Forces) and the Armed Forces of the DRC (FARDC) along with their allies (including other armed groups). This conflict has resulted in serious violations of human rights law and international humanitarian law, potentially constituting war crimes and crimes against humanity, including sexual and gender-based violence, forced displacement, and other atrocities. Reports that hundreds of women and girls were raped and killed during the M23's incursion into Goma city and the subsequent prison break at Munzenze Prison on January 27, 2025, further highlight the urgency of the situation.

The humanitarian situation in North Kivu and South Kivu provinces of the DRC is on the brink of collapse: armed conflict has blocked humanitarian aid access, and the right of civilians to seek refuge is not guaranteed. Human rights defenders and humanitarian workers in the region have become targets for attacks by both sides of the conflict, forcing them to suspend critical work such as documenting violations, issuing condemnations, and providing humanitarian assistance. It is noteworthy that the people of the DRC have endured over 30 years of continuous violence. The current crisis is essentially a structural conflict at the regional level, urgently requiring substantive solutions that go beyond superficial statements.

The open letter acknowledges the AU's prior response measures, including convening an emergency ministerial meeting and issuing a communiqué on January 28, 2025, authorizing the AU Commission to deploy a fact-finding mission. It also recognizes the efforts of AU Commission Chairperson Moussa Faki in facilitating a joint summit of the Southern African Development Community (SADC) and the East African Community (EAC). This summit, held on February 8, called on all parties to the conflict to cease hostilities, restore basic infrastructure and supply lines, and resolve the conflict peacefully through the Luanda/Nairobi process.

Based on this context, the document presents a series of specific demands to the AU Peace and Security Council: establish a clear timeline for the deployment of the fact-finding mission and ensure its operational launch within February 2025; create an effective collaboration model between the AU and the SADC-EAC mediation mechanism; promote an immediate ceasefire and dialogue between the governments of the DRC and Rwanda and all armed groups, including M23 and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR); strengthen the resources and mandate of peacekeeping forces to protect civilians and humanitarian corridors; establish a security guarantee mechanism for human rights defenders and support their participation throughout the conflict resolution process; hold perpetrators accountable through AU human rights and accountability mechanisms, with particular attention to cases of sexual and gender-based violence; guarantee unimpeded humanitarian assistance and the safe refuge rights of civilians; establish special protection measures for women and ensure their participation in peace negotiations and post-conflict reconstruction decision-making.

The open letter concludes by emphasizing that despite the efforts made by the AU and its partners, the severity of the crisis demands more immediate and comprehensive responses. It calls on African heads of state and government, along with relevant decision-makers, to increase pressure to bring about an immediate end to the conflict, protect civilian safety, and achieve lasting regional peace by addressing the root causes of the conflict.