UN’s Role in Holding Congo’s Armed Actors Accountable for War-Timed Sexual Violence
Sexual violence is one of the most serious humanitarian and human rights issues of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) of 2025. It has been reported that it is still being used as a war weapon by various armed organizations, and in other cases, by state security agencies. A key role in reporting such crimes and holding every country accountable in safeguarding civilians in times of war is played by the United Nations (UN), the agencies and the peacekeeping mission.
The data verified by the UN indicates that over 4,500 cases of sexual violence caused by conflicts were registered in 2024, which is a 20 percent more than last year. The vast majority of victims, 91 percent, are women and girls, whereas males and boys are less common, but the number of cases against men and boys also increases. These figures reflect the continuity as well as the changes in the wartime sexual violence as a calculated policy and terror.
MONUSCO is a peacekeeping mission of the UN in Congo working with local and international partners to investigate abuses and identify the perpetrators. Despite the fact that the main culprits are still in non-state armed groups, cases of prosecution that involve members of the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) have slightly increased. This shows slight but apparent gains on accountability by the state. Still, there are obstacles: the lack of strong judicial institutions, the lack of effective protection of survivors, and lack of financing compromises the efforts of the UN to provide complete justice.
Legal Milestones and Judicial Pressure on the Congolese State
In October 2025, a landmark decision by the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights contributed greatly to the development of standards of accountability in the region. It was the first occasion when the Commission accused the Congolese government of the sexual and gender-based atrocities that took place at the Fizi Territory, South Kivu, in the 2011 conflict. The judgment requires the DRC to prosecute involved military officers and indemnify those who survived the rape, torture and murder in the hostilities.
This case law on the achievement of which was the result of the advocacy of such organizations as Equality Now and the Association des Femmes Advocates Defenseurs des Droits Humains is a legally binding obligation to the government to take tangible action within six months. In addition to punishment, it needs the institution of survivor based corrections such as medical and psychological assistance programs.
Obstacles in national implementation
In spite of this development, there are still barriers to implementing. There are chronic delays at many local courts, and the right to access to justice continues to be low in the rural setting because of security threats and decay of infrastructure. The survivors are faced with stigma, retaliation, and fear of being exposed to the situation, and therefore they are unable to seek justice. The decision of the African Commission points out that the further legal reforms should involve mobile courts and improved registration of survivor testimonies to make them accessible and retain historical data.
UN Investigations and the Role of the International Criminal Court
Its efforts to deepen work in the DRC intensified in 2025 as the International Criminal Court (ICC) revived all its investigations into sexual and gender-based crimes. ICC Prosecutor Karim Khan reiterated that gender-targeted killings were one of the central areas of prosecutorial direction of the Court. His recent trip to Kinshasa was an indication of a new international focus to seek justice in the areas of failure of national systems.
Although ICC investigations have produced important indictments in previous conflicts in Congo, the difficulty is enforcement. The Court also relies on national assistance to make arrests and collect evidence, which is often a source of delays. That said, the ICC presence further supports the idea that the issue of accountability in sexual violence is inadmissible to the international legislation.
Peace negotiations and accountability gaps
A number of recent peace deals between the government of Congola and armed organizations, including the M23 rebels, have been criticized on grounds of lack of provisions on sexual violence. Such accords are likely to create impunity by not connecting past abuses or putting in place means of distributing justice. The ongoing examination by the ICC of these deals is to ensure that the culprits will not be reinstated in the official forces without undergoing justice and keeping the pressure on all parties to integrate gender justice in the peacebuilding structures.
UN Humanitarian Response and Survivor Support Amid Systemic Barriers
Humanitarian organizations of the UN especially UNFPA, UNICEF are still in the forefront to offer life saving aid to the victims. Nevertheless, the increasing level of violence is associated with the depreciating resources. In 2025, the reduction in funding towards gender-based violence programs was to the tune of 37 percent, which meant that some of the protection centers had to be shut down. The gaps that follow are disastrous: only 13 percent of the survivors seek medical attention within the 72-hour window of critical medical attention required to avoid infections and unwanted pregnancies.
Integrating justice with survivor-centered care
As it has been highlighted by UN experts, such as Siobhan Mullally, sexual violence in Congo is usually linked to human trafficking, exploitation, and economic coercion by armed groups. Interventions in the structure are necessary not only to deal with these crimes by immediate medical treatment but also to eliminate such crimes. The new approach by the UN incorporates the aspects of justice and holistic survivor recovery into its strategy–legal redress and holistic survivor recovery are linked and identified as the inter-related aspects of the reconstruction after conflicts.
Rebuilding trust and community resilience
This approach requires that local partnerships are established. North and South Kivu grassroots organizations assisted and documented survivor testimonies with the help of MONUSCO and legal aid access. These networks not just restore trust but also overturn stigmatization in the community and make survivors their own resilience agent and not victims. However, the future of these programs depends on unremitting investments of funds and political dedication on both the part of the national governments and the part of the international donors.
Political and Operational Challenges in Ensuring Accountability
Political instability, disjointed militia, and weak governance will limit the ability of the UN to exercise accountability in Congo. Areas where violence is most experienced are also not readily accessible to investigators, and so, perpetrators can act freely. At the same time, national election and coalition changes put the long-term justice priorities aside.
Survivor insecurity is the other major challenge. When engaging in investigations, many of the victims become intimidated by armed groups or ostracized in their communities. Such a silencing effect distorts the statistics of reporting and undermines the data accuracy of the UN. The Organization still works towards the protection of survivors by enhancing the security of witnesses and confidential reporting to assist them.
On the policy level, the UN uses its power by enacting resolutions by the Security Council and imposing sanctions on systems and networks that perpetrate systemic sexual violence. The diplomatic aspect of coordination with the donor states and the civil society would make sure that the financial and technical resources are well-tuned to accountability objectives. The interaction of these mechanisms is still critical in closing the international standards gap and national practice.
Emerging Pathways for Justice and Prevention
The experience in the DRC shows that sexual violence in times of war does not only undermine national sovereignty, but also the legitimacy of international institutions. The UN strategy of achieving enforcement of law, humanitarian aid, and institutional reform- is a multidimensional strategy that other conflict regions can adopt.
While progress is not consistent, emerging incremental successes are helping to create a more coherent accountability system. The inclusion of survivor testimony in judicial forums, the development of regional precedents, and the ongoing involvement of the ICC all reflect a movement away from documentation and towards enforcement. However, progress must lead to survivor protection and perpetrator deterrence in order for the advancements to have lasting effect.
While the DRC still experiences armed conflict and humanitarian crises, the UN – and the international community as a whole – must continue to pursue accountability of all of the Congo’s armed actors for wartime sexual violence as a moral and legal obligation. The increasing coordination between the international justice system, national courts, and local civil society organizations is indicative of a nascent, fragile, yet expanding accountability framework personified in the DRC. Whether this developing accountability system can withstand political volatility and bring about real justice is consequential not only for the path to peace in Congo, but for the UN’s legitimacy as an international body prioritizing human rights during conflict globally.
