THE HAGUE, Netherlands — Representatives of the Banyamulenge community from Minembwe in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo have submitted a complaint to the International Criminal Court in The Hague, seeking an investigation into alleged atrocities against their community and asking international prosecutors to examine the possible responsibility of Congolese and Burundian officials.
The complaint, submitted on August 14, 2026, names Congolese President Félix Tshisekedi, members of his administration and certain Burundian officials among those whose alleged conduct the complainants want examined. Filing a complaint or providing information to the ICC does not establish criminal responsibility, and the allegations would have to undergo independent legal assessment before any investigation or prosecution could proceed.
Banyamulenge representatives from several countries joined lawyers in The Hague for the submission. Before approaching the court, participants held a short commemorative march recalling the victims of the August 13, 2004 Gatumba massacre in neighboring Burundi, an atrocity that remains deeply significant to the Banyamulenge community.
Attorney Innocent Nteziryayo, one of the lawyers representing the complainants, said the submission focuses in part on recent military operations in and around Minembwe. He said the legal team was particularly concerned about alleged drone strikes that caused destruction to civilian infrastructure in the area. The complaint also asks prosecutors to examine what the lawyers describe as inflammatory rhetoric and alleged actions involving Congolese and Burundian forces.
Nteziryayo said the complainants had linked the alleged violence to statements they regard as promoting hostility toward the Banyamulenge. He further alleged that Burundian forces and officials had participated in operations affecting Banyamulenge communities and their infrastructure. Those assertions are allegations presented by the complainants and have not been established as findings of the ICC.
According to the submission described by the community’s representatives, the dossier contains witness accounts, photographs, video material and other documentation concerning alleged attacks in Minembwe. The complainants characterize some of the reported conduct as possible crimes against humanity, war crimes, ethnically motivated forced displacement and genocide, legal classifications that ultimately require assessment under international law.
The allegations include claims that civilians were forcibly displaced from their homes, unlawfully detained, tortured or subjected to cruel and degrading treatment. The complainants are asking international prosecutors to determine whether individuals within political, military or administrative structures could bear responsibility for any crimes that may fall within the ICC’s jurisdiction.
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The submission also raises allegations concerning armed groups operating in eastern DRC, including Wazalendo, Nyatura and the FDLR, and requests examination of their possible involvement in violence affecting civilians in Minembwe. It separately calls for scrutiny of allegations that some Burundian officials or forces cooperated with Congolese authorities in operations in the area.
Representatives said the materials submitted to prosecutors include documents endorsed by residents, civil-society groups and institutions in Minembwe authorizing representatives to pursue international accountability. Institutions referenced in the dossier reportedly include health facilities, churches, Minembwe General Hospital, educational institutions and Radio Tuungane de Minembwe.
The filing comes against the historical backdrop of the Gatumba massacre, in which Banyamulenge refugees were deliberately targeted at a transit center in Burundi on the night of August 13, 2004. A joint United Nations investigation recorded 152 Congolese Banyamulenge refugees killed, 106 wounded and eight missing, concluding that the victims appeared to have been targeted because of their ethnicity. The investigation found evidence pointing to probable participation by the FNL but said it could not establish conclusively who organized, carried out and financed the massacre.
The UN refugee agency described the Gatumba attack at the time as an “appalling attack on innocent civilians.” Witness accounts collected by UNHCR described attackers using firearms, grenades and machetes and setting shelters on fire while refugees were inside. Many of those killed were women and children.
The African Union’s Peace and Security Council also strongly condemned the massacre and called for those responsible to be identified and brought to justice. Years later, survivors continued to describe the lasting trauma of the attack. One survivor, identified by UNHCR under the pseudonym Riziki, recalled realizing during the gunfire: “It is death.”
For the Banyamulenge representatives gathered in The Hague, the new submission seeks to place contemporary allegations concerning Minembwe before an international judicial institution. They have asked the ICC Prosecutor to examine the testimony and supporting documentation and determine whether the information provides a legal basis for further action.
The move represents another attempt by Banyamulenge representatives to seek international accountability for alleged abuses in eastern DRC. Whether the submission advances further will depend on the ICC Prosecutor’s independent assessment of jurisdiction, admissibility and the evidence presented. For the complainants, however, taking their allegations to The Hague is intended to ensure that reported violence against civilians in Minembwe receives international legal scrutiny rather than being viewed solely through the broader regional conflict.
