The prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC), Karim Khan, has arrived in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), his office said on Tuesday (25), while there has been an increase in fighting in the east.

According to a AFPIn recent weeks, the Rwandan-backed M23 has seized two major cities in eastern DRC, giving the armed group an important foothold in the region since it took up arms again at the end of 2021.

"We are extremely concerned about the recent developments in Congo, we know that the situation, particularly in the east, is acute. The message has to be conveyed very clearly: any armed group, any armed force, any ally of armed groups or armed forces does not have a blank check," Khan told reporters on arrival in the capital, Kinshasa

According to UN experts, M23 is supported by around 4,000 Rwandan soldiers and since its resurgence, fighting between the group and the Congolese armed forces has caused a humanitarian crisis in a region that has been ravaged by conflict for three decades.

"This is a moment when we will see if international criminal law can stand up to the demands that the people of the Democratic Republic of Congo insist on, which is the equal application of the law," said Khan.

"The people of the DRC are as precious as... the people of Ukraine, the people of Israel or Palestine, the girls or women of Afghanistan," added the prosecutor who is due to meet the President, Felix Tshisekedi, government ministers, the UN Secretary General's representative in the country, Bintou Keita, victims of the conflict and members of civil society.

The first investigation opened by the ICC after it began its activities in 2002 concerned the DRC.

Since then, the court has convicted three people of crimes committed in the country.

The ICC prosecutor's office also opened an investigation in 2023 into allegations of crimes committed since January 2022 in North Kivu province, in the east of the vast nation.

(Photo DR)