Overview

The human rights situation remained dire. Persistent large-scale attacks against civilians by armed groups and the Congolese security forces fuelled the humanitarian crisis in which nearly 7 million people were internally displaced and thousands of others fled the country. Armed groups killed thousands of civilians, and the army carried out extrajudicial executions. Sexual and gender-based violence remained prevalent, with over 38,000 reported cases in Nord-Kivu province alone during the first quarter of the year. The rights to freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and association were routinely violated. Journalists, opposition members and activists, among others, were subjected to arbitrary detention and faced unfair trials. Mining projects in Lualaba province led to the forced eviction of thousands of people from their homes and livelihoods, while Indigenous Peoples faced eviction in the name of conservation. The armed conflict continued to devastate children’s right to education. Natural disasters left hundreds dead and thousands missing. Prisons were severely overcrowded and inmates’ conditions were generally appalling. No meaningful progress was made towards accountability and justice for victims of crimes under international law and other serious human rights violations.