Khan recalled that Congolese authorities contacted his office on two occasions, prompting him to initiate investigations on DRC territory; the first time in March 2004, to inquire about alleged crimes committed in the country since July 1, 2002, after which they began to investigate.

In 2023, they contacted the ICC again, this time to investigate criminal actions committed by members of several armed forces and groups since January 1, 2022 in North Kivu, the court said in a statement.

Following an assessment, the prosecutor decided that the latest episodes in the eastern province of the DRC are linked to recurring patterns of violence and hostilities that have plagued the region since at least July 1, 2002, when the ICC began to exercise its jurisdiction in the country, so occurrences of 2022 fall within the ongoing investigation.

The statement notes that the investigations will not be limited to specific parties to the conflict or members of specific groups, but will examine the responsibility of all alleged perpetrators in a comprehensive, independent and impartial manner.

The ICC Prosecutor’s Office also promised to pay special attention to the principle of complementariness and to seek the collaboration and cooperation from domestic authorities and all relevant players, with a view to ensuring effective justice for the victims.

Ied/jg/jha/kmg