By Ebi Kesiena
The United Nations Human Rights Council has announced an urgent meeting on Friday to address the escalating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).
Council spokesperson Pascal Sim confirmed on Wednesday in Geneva that the special session will focus on “the human rights situation in eastern DR Congo.”
The UN’s top human rights body was not scheduled to convene until late February, but the worsening crisis has prompted an emergency response.
Tensions in the region intensified last week when the Rwandan-backed M23 rebel group, alongside Rwandan troops, seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province—an area rich in minerals but plagued by decades of conflict. While fighting in the city has subsided, clashes have now spread to the neighbouring South Kivu province, raising fears of further escalation towards its capital, Bukavu.
The Human Rights Council, which consists of 47 member states, typically holds three regular sessions annually over at least 10 weeks. The next session is scheduled from 24 February to 4 April. However, a special session can be convened if at least 16 member states—more than one-third—support the request.
Currently, 29 member states and 22 observer states have backed the DRC’s call for the emergency meeting, Sim confirmed. An organisational meeting is set for Thursday to finalise the session’s format and draft a resolution.
Friday’s gathering will mark the 37th special session of the Human Rights Council since its inception in 2006. The most recent special sessions addressed the Sudan conflict in May 2023 and the deteriorating human rights situation in Iran, particularly concerning women and children, in November 2022.
