DR Congo: sexual violence in the East and the long wait for reparations, 2021–2026

In 2025 the United Nations verified 1,534 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), an 86% rise on 2024, with 439 cases attributed to M23 and 305 to state forces [3]. Humanitarian services recorded about 220,000 cases of gender-based violence across the country that year, 69% more than in 2024 [2]. Nearly 45,000 cases of sexual violence against children were reported in 2024, three times more than in 2022 [1]. In December 2022 the DRC adopted a law to repair victims of conflict-related sexual violence and set up a national fund, FONAREV. Four years on, survivors in North and South Kivu report almost no payments, while the fund faces questions about how it spends its money [21][24][25].

Content note: this article describes rape, sexual slavery and killings, including of women in detention and of children.

Context: a war fought on women’s bodies

Eastern DRC has lived with armed conflict for three decades. Since late 2021 the M23 armed group, which UN reports say receives support from the Rwanda Defence Force, has expanded its control in North Kivu [5][15]. Other armed groups, the Congolese army (FARDC) and allied “Wazalendo” militias also operate there. In September 2025 the UN found that all sides committed grave violations, including gang rape [15]. A year after Goma fell, rights groups reported that violations were still increasing [19].

More than 2.7 million people were displaced in North Kivu alone by early 2025, many in camps around Goma [13]. There, women and girls were raped while looking for firewood, food or water. Hunger pushed some displaced women into survival sex [5].

In January 2025 M23 took Goma, the capital of North Kivu. In February it took Bukavu, the capital of South Kivu [2][15]. Health services collapsed in many areas, and United States aid cuts closed more than half of the support points for survivors [10]. In December 2025 M23 also captured Uvira, despite new peace deals [18].

The DRC is a party to the Maputo Protocol (2003). Article 11 asks states to protect women in armed conflict and to treat sexual violence against them as a war crime. Article 4 requires states to punish perpetrators and provide for reparation.

Cases and events, 2021 to 2026

Background before 2021

• May 2014, Minova trial (North Kivu). Of some 39 soldiers tried for mass rapes during the army’s retreat from M23 in late 2012, only two were convicted of rape. The UN envoy said the verdict failed survivors [35].
• December 2017, Kavumu trial (South Kivu). A military court sentenced provincial MP Frédéric Batumike and 11 militia members to life in prison for the rape of about 40 children, aged 8 months to 12 years, between 2013 and 2016 [34]. Civil parties said the reparations were minimal.

2021

• 8 March 2021, The Hague. The International Criminal Court (ICC) ordered US$30 million in reparations in the case of Bosco Ntaganda, convicted of crimes including rape and sexual slavery in Ituri. Judges gave special weight to sexual violence and listed children born of rape among priority victims [29].
• Data gap. We could not confirm the UN-verified DRC figure for 2021.

2022

• Whole year, North Kivu. More than 38,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported in the province [8].
• Whole year, UN verification. The UN verified 701 cases of conflict-related sexual violence in the DRC, the highest of any country that year [7]. M23 was linked to 43 cases [6].
• 9 June 2022, Ezekere case (Ituri). The Ituri garrison military court sentenced three FARDC soldiers to life in prison for war crimes including rape, committed during an October 2020 operation. It awarded individual and collective reparations to 254 civil parties (139 women, 115 men) and held the Congolese state jointly liable [31].
• 6 December 2022. Decree 22/38 created FONAREV, the national reparations fund [21].
• 26 December 2022. Parliament adopted Law 22/065 on the protection and reparation of victims of conflict-related sexual violence and of crimes against peace and the security of humanity. President Félix Tshisekedi promulgated it on 29 December [20].

2023

• January to March 2023, North Kivu. Reports of gender-based violence rose 37% compared with the same period in 2022. UNICEF reported sexual exploitation of children as young as three in more than 1,000 displacement sites [8].
• Whole year, North Kivu. UNFPA counted more than 50,000 gender-based violence cases [9]. The UN Secretary-General recorded 22,000 sexual violence cases in the province, more than double the year before [5]. The two figures measure different things.
• Whole year, MSF. Médecins Sans Frontières treated 25,166 survivors in the DRC, its highest figure ever, 91% of them in North Kivu. Two thirds said they were attacked at gunpoint. MSF called programmes for survivors “too short-lived and grossly under-resourced” [11].
• June and August 2023. Decree 23/20 amended FONAREV’s rules, and Decree 23/32 gave it 11% of mining royalties [21]. FONAREV received US$46.65 million for the last months of 2023 [24].
• 14 July 2023, ICC. Appeals review set Ntaganda’s liability at US$31.3 million. As he is indigent, the ICC Trust Fund for Victims must pay [30].
• August 2023. Reporting on the 2 August “Genocost” day found that no reparations had yet been paid under FONAREV [23].

2024

• January to May 2024, North Kivu. Health providers treated more than 17,000 survivors of sexual violence [5].
• Whole year. UNFPA counted more than 56,000 gender-based violence cases in North Kivu [9]. MSF teams treated nearly 40,000 survivors in North Kivu [12]. Nationwide, nearly 45,000 cases of sexual violence against children were reported, almost 40% of all cases [1].
• Whole year, UN verification. The UN mission documented 823 cases: 416 women, 391 girls, 7 boys and 9 men. State actors were linked to 198 cases and M23 to 152 [5].
• October 2024. REDRESS noted that no compensation had yet been paid to victims of mass crimes in the DRC, despite many court rulings ordering the state to pay [22].

2025

• 27 January 2025, Munzenze prison, Goma. As M23 fought for Goma, more than 4,000 detainees escaped. A Congolese judicial source said 165 women prisoners were raped by male inmates, and most died when the prison was set on fire. Only 9 to 13 women survived, all raped. The UN called the unverified report credible, and the government confirmed the rapes [14].
• Late January to February 2025, South Kivu. The UN was verifying reports that Congolese soldiers raped 52 women during their retreat [14]. The UN later documented gang rape by FARDC and Wazalendo fighters in this period [15].
• February 2025, Goma and Bukavu. UNFPA reported nearly 500 cases of sexual violence in one week around Goma, more than 150 involving children [9]. About 10,000 cases were reported in January and February [17]. After M23 took Bukavu, admissions to Panzi Hospital’s sexual violence unit fell by more than half because survivors could not cross front lines [2].
• March and April 2025, Kivus. ActionAid recorded a near 700% increase in reports between February and March [13].
• May 2025. Only 13% of survivors received post-exposure prophylaxis within 72 hours. Only 7 of 34 health zones in North Kivu held minimal stocks of rape kits [10]. In Goma and its surroundings, MSF treated nearly 7,400 patients from January to April [12].
• 3 April 2025. FONAREV signed a one-year agreement with the UN system [26]. FONAREV funds a US$12 million joint programme in North and South Kivu, run by UNFPA, UNICEF, UNDP, UN Women and the UN human rights office. It targets medical and psychosocial care for 5,000 survivors, legal aid and emergency assistance [27].
• 27 June 2025, Washington. The DRC and Rwanda signed a peace agreement. Analysts noted that it said nothing about accountability for sexual violence [17][18].
• 19 July 2025, Doha. The DRC government and M23 signed a ceasefire and declaration of principles. Neither mentioned sexual violence or survivors [17].
• 5 September 2025, Geneva. The UN fact-finding report said M23 “systematically” committed gang rape and sexual slavery, and that army and Wazalendo forces also raped women and girls. Funding cuts had stopped urgently needed aid for survivors [15][16].
• 30 September 2025. Afrik.com reported that FONAREV collected more than US$212 million from January 2024 to June 2025, but that less than 2.5% went to reparations, and that a complaint was filed in Brussels alleging embezzlement. These are allegations, not findings [25].
• 15 November and 4 December 2025. The government and AFC/M23 signed the Doha Framework for Peace. Presidents Tshisekedi and Kagame signed the Washington Accords [18].
• 15 December 2025, Paris. A French court sentenced former rebel leader Roger Lumbala to 30 years for complicity in crimes against humanity in Ituri in 2002–2003, where witnesses described rapes. He could appeal. Local groups asked for reparations [32].
• Whole year. More than 35,000 child cases were reported in the first nine months [1]. UNFPA and partners cared for nearly 100,000 survivors of gender-based violence [36]. Panzi cared for 3,857 survivors and obtained 100 birth certificates for children born of rape [2].

2026

• February 2026. UN experts cited allegations of sexual violence by M23 against human rights defenders in North and South Kivu between November 2025 and February 2026 [18].
• 13 April 2026, High Military Court. In a Djugu (Ituri) war crimes case, the court ruled that reparations cannot depend on victims first paying court fees, and upheld the state’s joint liability. The case did not involve rape, but the principle helps survivors [33].
• 21 April 2026. The Secretary-General’s annual report (S/2026/321) recorded 1,534 verified cases in the DRC in 2025. Three DRC armed groups were newly listed as parties suspected of patterns of sexual violence [3].
• April to May 2026. FONAREV said it was working to recover court-ordered damages for 517 victims in Kasai-Central, and that mobile hearings in Yangambi (Tshopo) convicted three people in a case awaited by 233 victims. It reported no amounts paid [28].
• 8 July 2026, New York. The DRC chaired the Security Council’s open debate on conflict-related sexual violence. The UN envoy said 35 arms bearers were convicted in the DRC in the past year, that some reparations were paid under court decisions, that more than 45,000 displaced survivors received support, and that over 1,000 children born of rape were registered [4].
• 25 August 2026, Kasai. JusticeInfo reported allegations of opaque management and favouritism at FONAREV. A lawyer said he knew of no court decision on reparations that had been enforced [24].

What the data show

Read these numbers with care. UN-verified cases are a floor: for every case reaching a clinic, 10 to 20 go unreported [4]. “Gender-based violence” includes domestic violence, while “conflict-related sexual violence” counts only war-linked cases. And some falls reflect lost access, not less violence: when Bukavu fell, Panzi’s admissions dropped while violence rose [2].

Child cases tripled between 2022 and 2024 [1]. State forces were linked to about one in five verified cases in 2025 [3].

What the law says and where it falls short

Law 22/065 of 26 December 2022 sets principles for protecting and repairing victims of conflict-related sexual violence and other grave crimes. It created FONAREV, a single consolidated list of victims and an inter-institutional commission [21]. It waives court and lawyers’ fees for victims [23]. It also opens an administrative route, so that survivors should not need a guilty verdict or a named perpetrator to claim reparation [22]. FONAREV draws 11% of mining royalties, plus donor funds [21][23].

The gaps are serious:

• Court-first rules. Article 4 links victim status to a decision of a High Court. The Global Survivors Fund recommends repealing it [21].
• Missing decrees. Implementing decrees were reported adopted but not officially published as of 2025 [21].
• Narrow forms of reparation. Congolese law recognises mainly individual compensation, not collective, symbolic or health measures [21].
• Unpaid judgments. In the Songo-Mboyo case, 43 survivors were paid more than ten years after the ruling, and much of the money was distributed unequally or misused [21]. Courts often hold the state jointly liable, as in Ezekere [31], but payment rarely follows [22][24].
• Transparency. FONAREV has received large sums since 2023 [24][25] but has published little on how many survivors it has paid. Serious allegations remain under question [24][25].
• Children born of rape. The Global Survivors Fund asks that they be recognised as direct victims with access to birth registration and nationality [21]. Survivors also need safe abortion care in cases of rape, which Article 14 of the Maputo Protocol requires.
• Peace without justice. None of the 2025 peace texts deals with sexual violence or survivors [17].

There are signs of progress. The Global Survivors Fund, the Panzi Foundation and the national survivors’ movement co-designed interim reparative measures with 1,093 survivors in North Kivu, South Kivu and Kasai-Central, combining cash, training, health care, birth certificates and survivor centres. 98% of participants said it changed their lives [21].

What RFLD asks for

1. Pay survivors now. FONAREV should launch urgent interim payments for survivors in North and South Kivu, starting with those raped since 2022, without waiting for a court ruling.
2. Publish the numbers. FONAREV should publish each quarter its income, spending and the number of survivors paid, by province and sex, and accept an independent audit.
3. Fix the law. Parliament should repeal the court-first condition in Article 4, publish all implementing decrees, and add collective and symbolic reparations.
4. Enforce judgments. The government should create a budget line to pay every court-ordered award where the state is jointly liable, starting with Ezekere and other final rulings.
5. Put survivors in the peace process. The Doha and Washington processes should add a protocol on sexual violence, with no amnesty for rape, vetting before any integration of fighters, and seats for women survivors.
6. Restore care. Donors and the government should restore funding for rape kits, post-exposure prophylaxis, safe abortion care and psychosocial support, so that every survivor is treated within 72 hours.
7. Protect children born of rape. Register them, recognise them as direct victims, and fund their schooling and health.
8. Prosecute all sides. Investigate M23, the army, Wazalendo and other groups, including for the Munzenze prison attack, and fully fund the UN Commission of Inquiry.

RFLD tools you can use today

• Read the DRC’s laws on violence, family and equality on our DR Congo laws page, part of Women’s Rights Laws by Country.
• Find rights, justice routes and help in Sexual violence in Africa: rights, justice and support.
• Support a survivor safely with the Survivor Support Toolkit and our Get Support page.
• Listen to survivors’ voices in Towards Justice and Healing: GBV testimonies.
• Share the Maputo Protocol in Lingala and train others with the Maputo Protocol Training Manual.
• Follow court rulings and whether they are paid in Decisions and enforcement.
• Track women in peace talks and decision-making on the Women in Leadership Tracker: DRC and our Peace & Security page.
• Plan advocacy with the CEDAW and UPR review calendar, the RFLD AU Mechanisms Hub and the Maputo Barometer 2026.
• Join the 16 Days of Activism 2026 campaign.

A promise still to keep

Women in eastern DRC have spoken out for years. The DRC now has a reparations law, a funded reparations body and chaired the Council’s 2026 debate on sexual violence. Survivors still lack money in hand, care close to home, and a peace process that names what was done to them. RFLD stands with Congolese women’s organisations in demanding that 2027 be the year reparations reach the women of the Kivus.

References

1. UNICEF, “Sexual violence against children ‘entrenched’ and rising across Democratic Republic of the Congo”, 30 December 2025. unicef.org
2. Panzi Foundation, “Rapport annuel 2025”, August 2026. panzifoundation.org
3. Security Council Report, “July 2026 Monthly Forecast: Women, Peace and Security” (on S/2026/321), July 2026. securitycouncilreport.org
4. Office of the SRSG on Sexual Violence in Conflict, “Statement of SRSG Patten, Security Council open debate: Honoring the promise of international law to survivors of CRSV”, 8 July 2026. un.org
5. Al Jazeera, “Sexual violence surged amid war in DRC’s North Kivu last year: UN”, 14 August 2025. aljazeera.com
6. Prime Business Africa, “UN reports 25% surge in conflict sexual violence as four African nations named worst affected”, 15 August 2025. primebusiness.africa
7. The Gazette (Nigeria), “2,455 cases of conflict-related sexual violence recorded in 2022: UN envoy”, 15 July 2023. gazettengr.com
8. UNICEF, “UNICEF calls for urgent action to respond to alarming levels of increasing sexual violence”, 18 May 2023. unicef.org
9. UNFPA, “UNFPA statement on sexual violence perpetrated against women and girls in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo”, 21 February 2025. unfpa.org
10. UNFPA, “Democratic Republic of the Congo situation report, May 2025”, June 2025. unfpa.org
11. Médecins Sans Frontières, “MSF reports unprecedented number of sexual violence cases in DR Congo”, 30 September 2024. doctorswithoutborders.org
12. MSF Southern Africa, “DRC: Sexual violence crisis worsening despite repeated warnings”, 11 June 2025. msf-sa-press.prezly.com
13. ActionAid via ReliefWeb, “Reports of sexual violence in eastern DRC surge almost 700% in March as armed conflict intensifies”, 2025. reliefweb.int
14. CNN (Nimi Princewill), republished by Egypt Independent, “More than 150 female inmates raped and burned to death during Goma jailbreak in DRC, UN says”, 6 February 2025. egyptindependent.com
15. UN News, “UN report raises spectre of war crimes and crimes against humanity in eastern DR Congo”, 5 September 2025. news.un.org
16. UN News via AllAfrica, “DR Congo crisis: funding cuts curtail assistance to victims of sexual violence”, 5 September 2025. allafrica.com
17. Ellie Markwick, Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, “The absence of accountability: how agreements in the DRC fail to address sexual violence”, 20 August 2025. giwps.georgetown.edu
18. Security Council Report, “April 2026 Monthly Forecast: Great Lakes Region / DRC”, April 2026. securitycouncilreport.org
19. Omega Research Foundation, “One year after the M23 takeover of Goma, violations are increasing in eastern DRC”, 30 January 2026. omegaresearchfoundation.org
20. Actualite.cd, “RDC : promulgation de la loi portant protection et réparation des victimes des violences sexuelles liées aux conflits”, 30 December 2022. actualite.cd
21. Global Survivors Fund, “Democratic Republic of the Congo country briefing” (reparations study update), April 2025. globalsurvivorsfund.org
22. REDRESS, “Accessing reparations remains a persistent challenge for victims of conflict-related sexual violence in the DRC”, 16 October 2024. redress.org
23. Caleb Kazadi, JusticeInfo.net, “When will Congolese ‘Genocost’ victims receive reparations?”, 31 August 2023. justiceinfo.net
24. Caleb Kazadi, JusticeInfo.net, “Kasai: FONAREV under fire”, 25 August 2026. justiceinfo.net
25. Afrik.com, “FONAREV en RDC : un fonds de réparation détourné de sa mission initiale ?”, 30 September 2025. afrik.com
26. Financial Afrik, “RDC : 12 millions USD pour renforcer la prise en charge des victimes de violences sexuelles liées aux conflits”, 7 April 2025. financialafrik.com
27. UNFPA and partners, “Document de programme conjoint FONAREV – Système des Nations Unies”, 9 June 2025. aa.unfpa.org
28. FONAREV, “Newsletter avril–mai 2026”, 2026. fonarev.cd
29. International Justice Monitor, “Ntaganda’s liability for reparations set at 30 million USD”, March 2021. ijmonitor.org
30. JusticeInfo.net, “ICC confirms $30m reparations in DR Congo warlord case”, 14 July 2023. justiceinfo.net
31. Avocats Sans Frontières, “Affaire Ezekere : de lourdes condamnations à l’encontre des accusés et des réparations individuelles et collectives accordées aux 254 parties civiles”, 17 June 2022. asf.be
32. AllAfrica (French), “Condamnation de Roger Lumbala : des ONG de l’Ituri réclament l’indemnisation des victimes”, 16 December 2025. fr.allafrica.com
33. Avocats Sans Frontières, “Violations graves des droits humains à Djugu : la Haute Cour militaire renforce le droit aux réparations des victimes de crimes de guerre”, 29 June 2026. asf.be
34. JusticeInfo.net, “Historic verdict in DRC child rape trial”, 13 December 2017. justiceinfo.net
35. UN News, “DR Congo mass rape verdict fails to deliver justice to victims, says UN envoy”, 8 May 2014. news.un.org
36. Agence Congolaise de Presse, “DRC: care for nearly 100,000 survivors of GBV in 2025 (UNFPA)”, 24 November 2025. acp.cd