The African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) on Thursday declared itself competent enough to handle a controversial case between Rwanda and DRC.
In the case filed before the court, the DRC accuses Rwanda of massive human rights violations on Congolese territory. However, Rwanda argues that the court was not competent to handle the case.
In its judgment delivered on June 26, 2025, the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR) declared itself competent and deemed admissible the application filed by Kinshasa against Rwanda.
The ACHPR rejected all of the objections raised by the Rwandan side.
The question of the admissibility of the Congolese application was at the heart of the debates during the second hearing of this case, held on February 13.
The Rwandan lawyers had notably argued that domestic and regional procedures had not been fully exhausted, making, in their view, the referral to the ACHPR premature.
They had also questioned the credibility of the Congolese application, considering it based on information from the press.
The Rwandan party had even requested the suspension of the procedure, pending the verdict of the Court of Justice of the East African Community (EAC).