A U.N. commission tasked with investigating suspected massacres and sexual violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo cannot begin work because the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has run out of money, according to a letter seen by Reuters.
The Human Rights Council approved the fact-finding mission and a broader Commission of Inquiry in February after Rwanda-backed M23 rebels seized parts of North and South Kivu, including Goma and Bukavu. But High Commissioner Volker Türk wrote that the probe “cannot deliver results until and unless funding is made available,” citing an overall $60 million shortfall caused by unpaid member-state dues and deep cuts in U.S. aid.
Alex El Jundi, head of OHCHR’s Investigations Support Unit, told diplomats on Monday that preliminary evidence pointed to summary executions and “horrific sexual violence” that could amount to war crimes. OHCHR had already diverted $1.1 million from its regular budget to launch the initial fact-finding team, exhausting its reserves; the Commission of Inquiry is expected to cost about $3.9 million.
South Africa’s envoy called the delay a “grave mistake,” while Congo’s representative warned it risked signalling that the investigation was unimportant. OHCHR said it would try to secure regular budget funds for the inquiry in 2026.
