The United Nations Human Rights Council today unanimously agreed to establish an immediate fact-finding mission and commission of inquiry into atrocities committed by all parties to the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The council made its decision during an extraordinary crisis session convened at Congo’s request and supported by 48 countries from all regions. During recent combat in North and South Kivu provinces, the Rwanda-backed M23 armed group captured Goma from the Congolese army and its partner militias. Human rights organizations, the UN, and the media have all reported summary executions, rapes, including gang rapes, looting, and illegal forced labor and conscription. Volker Türk, the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, raised alarm last week that the recent fighting “risks deepening … much further” the risk of conflict-related sexual violence, which has been “an appalling feature of armed conflict in eastern DRC for decades

The commission of inquiry, initiated by 79 Congolese, regional, and international rights groups, will investigate and report on violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by warring parties. It will also collect and preserve evidence of international crimes and identify those responsible for atrocities to support accountability efforts end the cycle of abuse and impunity, and support the right of victims and survivors to truth, justice, and reparations.

Abuses in areas under M23 control have been challenging to document due to the armed group’s record of targeting activists and restricting freedoms of expression, movement, and association. The UN’s top human rights body is sending a clear message: serious abuses will be documented and exposed. Concerned governments should complement this important step towards justice with further, immediate measures to protect civilians, including the many people displaced, and provide urgent assistance to those affected, including survivors of sexual violence. They should press Rwandan forces and the M23 to ensure access to and facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid to Goma’s population, and urge all parties to halt abuses against civilians