UN report exposes human rights abuses by DR Congo army and armed groups

The United Nations Joint Human Rights Office in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (UNJHRO) has documented widespread human rights violations involving Congolese security forces and several armed groups, including the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), according to a report covering July 2026.

The report identifies violations including killings, sexual violence, arbitrary deprivation of liberty, unlawful arrests and detention, highlighting the continued vulnerability of civilians in conflict-affected areas.

According to UNJHRO, a total of 417 human rights violations were recorded in provinces affected by armed conflict during the reporting period.

Of the 91 violations attributed to state authorities, 64 were committed by the Congolese armed forces (FARDC), six by the national police, eight by prison authorities, while the remaining incidents involved intelligence personnel and other state institutions.

These violations affected 62 men, 25 women, 15 children and eight other individuals whose sex or age was not specified.

Among non-state armed groups, the FDLR was responsible for 20 documented violations, affecting 37 men and six women.

The Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), another armed group operating in eastern DR Congo, was linked to 40 violations. These affected 124 men, 11 women, 15 children and 34 individuals whose demographic details were not established.

Wazalendo militias, which receive support from the Congolese government, were attributed 37 violations affecting 37 men, 47 women, 12 children and two individuals whose age and sex were not specified.

Meanwhile, Nyatura armed groups, which cooperate with the FDLR, were linked to 28 violations affecting 70 men, 37 women and an unspecified number of children.

Overall, UNJHRO recorded 326 human rights violations attributed to armed groups in conflict-affected provinces, making non-state armed actors the largest category of perpetrators in the report.

Outside conflict-affected areas, UNJHRO documented 47 human rights violations during July 2026.

The Congolese armed forces accounted for 20 of these incidents, the highest number attributed to a single state institution, followed by the national police, which were linked to 19 violations. Other state institutions were responsible for the remaining cases.

The violations were particularly prevalent in Haut-Katanga, Kinshasa and Lualaba provinces.

They mainly involved arbitrary deprivation of liberty, violations of personal security, ill-treatment and sexual violence.

UNJHRO warned that the continued failure to effectively prosecute state officials responsible for human rights abuses contributes to the persistence of such violations.