Statement: 17 October 2016 |

Statement of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, Fatou Bensouda, regarding the mission sent to the Democratic Republic of the Congo

For a number of weeks now, I have been deeply concerned by the critical situation and recent incidents of violence in the Democratic Republic of the Congo ("DRC"), particularly the events and certain alleged acts that took place in Kinshasa in September 2016, which could constitute crimes within the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court ("Court" or "ICC").

Further to my public statement of 23 September 2016 on the recent violence in Kinshasa, I have deployed a delegation from my Office to the DRC. Amongst those the delegation will meet during its mission from 16 to 20 October 2016 will be official representatives of the DRC, members of political parties, civil society, and the Press.

The goal of this mission is to reiterate my call to all parties potentially involved, and to all Congolese actors, irrespective of their official status or political affiliation, to show restraint, and ensure in particular that they, their supporters, sympathisers and agents refrain, at all times and in all locations, from committing any act of criminal violence against individuals and property, and take the necessary measures to prevent the commission of such acts.

My Office is closely monitoring the situation on the ground in the DRC, a country where we have been carrying out investigations since 2004. It is imperative that all activities and actions in the territory of the DRC, irrespective of their actors, nature or form, be conducted with extreme restraint and a sense of responsibility, and that any violent act contrary to the Rome Statute be avoided at all times and in all places.

I reiterate that any person who commits, orders, incites, encourages, or contributes in any other way to, the commission of crimes under the jurisdiction of the Court is liable to prosecution. I will not hesitate to take all appropriate steps to prosecute those responsible in accordance with the principle of complementarity.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC conducts independent and impartial preliminary examinations, investigations and prosecution of the crimes of genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes. The Office has been conducting  investigations in: Uganda; the Democratic Republic of the Congo; Darfur, Sudan; the Central African Republic (two separate investigations); Kenya; Libya; Côte d'Ivoire, Mali and Georgia. The Office is also conducting preliminary examinations relating to the situations in Afghanistan; Burundi; the registered vessels of Comoros, Greece and Cambodia; Colombia; Gabon; Guinea; Iraq/UK; Palestine, Nigeria and Ukraine.

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Natungisami penza makasi uta baposo ebele likolo ya makambo mabe na bolandani ya mobulu na mikolo ewuti koleka na kati ya République Démocratique du Congo « RDC », mingi mingi ezali likolo ya makambo oyo esalemaki na Kinshasa na sanza ya libwa 2016, pe bizaleli moko oyo esalemaki na tango wana,  makambo yango makoki  kozala mbeba oyo ezali na nse ya bokonzi ya Cour Pénale Internationale to « CPI ».

Engebene na liyebisi na ngai ya polele ya le 23 sanza ya libwa 2016 likolo na mobulu oyo esalemeki kala mingi te na Kinshasa, nazali koyebisa botindami bwa bantoma ba bureau na ngai, bakokende na RDC, uta le 16 tii le 20 sanza ya zomi 2016. Bantoma bakokutana na bato lokola bakonzi ya leta ya RDC, bayi politique, société civile na bapanzi sango. 

Ntina ya lotomo oyo nazui mokano ya kotinda na mboka wana, ezali ete bayebisa pe kozongela mbela na ngai epai na baoyo nyonso bamonani ete bazalaki  na kati ya makambo wana, elongo na bacongolais nyonso oyo bakoki kosala  na kati ya makambo wana; ezala ba oyo bazali bakonzi ya minene ya leta to ya bapartis politiques, po babenda nzoto, pe balakisa ya solo ete bango moko, ba oyo bazali sima na bango, ba oyo balingaka bango na bato na bango ya misala batika, na tango nyonso pe na bisika nyonso, kosala mobulu ya koboma bato pe kobebisa biloko; pe bazua mikano elongobani po na kopekisa bosalemi bwa likambo liye.

Bureau na ngai ezali kotala na bokebi nyonso lolenge makambo ezali kokende na kati ya RDC, esika tozali ksala misala mya boluki bilembo uta 2004. Esengeli ete misala nyonso, makambo nyonso na kati ya mboka RDC, ata soki esalemi na moto nini, ezala ya lolenge nini to ya ndenge nini, esalema na limemia pe na bobangi mibeko ; pe bizaleli nyonso ya mobulu oyo epekisami na kati ya Statut ya Rome ya CPI esalema ata moke te na tango nyonso pe bisika binso.

Tika nayebisa lisusu ete moto nyonso akosala mbeba, akotinda, akosengenia, akolendisa to akotia maboko na lolenge nyonso na kati ya kosala mbeba minene ya somo oyo ezali na nse ya bokonzi ya CPI akoki kolandema pe kofundama ; pe nakobukana ata moke te po na kozua mikano oyo esengeli po na kofunda bato oyo basali mbeba engebene na  mobeko mwa kosungana.

Bureau ya Procureur ya CPI  esalaka mosala ya kotala liboso, ya koluka bilembo na ya kofunda po na mbeba ya génocide, mbeba ya bobomi bato ebele na mbeba ya bobomi bato na kati ya bitumba na lipanda lionso pe kokotela moto moko te. Bureau ya Procureur  ezali na tango oyo kosala mosala mwa koluka bilembo na mboka Côte d'Ivoire, na Darfour (Soudan), na Géorgie, na Kenya, na Lybie, na Mali, na Ouganda, na  République Centrafricaine (boluki bilembo na makambo mibale ekeseni), pe  na République Démocratique du Congo. Bureau ezali pe kosala misala ya kotala bilembo liboso na makambo etali mboka Afghanistan, na Burundi, na Colombie, na Gabon, na Guinée, na Iraq/Royaume Uni, na Nigéria, na Palestine, pe na Ukraine pe ma likambo etali babwato oyo endindaka na mayi oyo ekomami na mikanda ya ba mboka Comores, Grèce na Cambodge.

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Liyebisi ya Procureur ya Cour Pénale Internationale, Fatou Bensouda, na oyo etali botindi bantoma naye na République Démocratique du Congo.
Source: Office of the Prosecutor | Contact: [email protected]