In a dramatic escalation of the ongoing conflict in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), the M23 rebels on Jan. 26 seized Goma, the capital of North Kivu province on the Rwandan border. The UN Security Council held an emergency meeting to discuss the situation, with the DRC accusing Rwanda of sending hundreds of troops across the border to support the M23. The DRC is caling for an arms embargo on Rwanda, and sanctions on its mineral exports.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni said in a video released on social media Jan. 28 she has been placed under investigation by the Prosecutor's Office over her government's surprise release of a Libyan national who is wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Italian police arrested Osama Najim, the head of the Tripoli government's Judicial Police, in the city of Turin nine days earlier. Najim, popularly known as "Almasri," serves as director of a network of detention centers where systematic abuse and human rights violations have been repeatedly documented in a reports by the UN Human Rights Council. Mediterranea Saving Humans NGO stated that the arrest "came after years of complaints and testimonies from victims, which were sent to the International Criminal Court." Yet Najim was released after just one day, and arrived at Tripoli International Airport on Jan. 21. Queried about the release, Italian authorities cited "procedural irregularities" in his arrest. However, media commentators have widely pointed to Rome's arrangements with Tripoli to block migrants seeking to cross the Mediterranean to reach Italy's shores.

International Criminal Court (ICC) Prosecutor Karim AA Khan announced Jan. 23 that his office has filed applications for arrest warrants before the Pre-trial Chamber against two leading Taliban officials accused of committing crimes against humanity. These applications stem from thorough investigations conducted by the Prosecutor's Office and are part of a broader inquiry into the situation in Afghanistan.

With the sounds of war starting to fall silent in the Gaza Strip after 470 days of brutal Israeli military assault and siege, a tiny crack of hope has opened for the Palestinian residents of the enclave that they will be able to gather the shattered pieces of their lives and begin the daunting task of rebuilding. But whether the deal reached by Israel and Hamas on Jan. 15 will lead to a decisive end to the war remains entirely unclear.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Jan. 7 declared that Sudan's Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militias have committed genocide during the country's ongoing civil war. This would mark the second genocide Sudan has seen in less than three decades, following the Darfur genocide of the early 2000s. Blinken's statement outlined atrocities perpetrated by the RSF, including ethnically targeted massacres of men, boys and infants, as well as widespread sexual violence inflicted upon women and girls. "Those same militias have targeted fleeing civilians, murdering innocent people escaping conflict, and prevented remaining civilians from accessing lifesaving supplies," he said.

Ukraine became the 125th state party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Jan. 1. With the ratification of the Rome Statute, Ukraine gains full participation rights within the ICC framework, which includes the power to refer cases to the Court. Moreover, ratification strengthens Ukraine's ability to prosecute international crimes domestically, aligning its legal system with international standards. Ukraine, however, invoked a transitional provision that limits ICC jurisdiction over war crimes committed by its nationals for seven years, raising concerns about potential selective justice and access to accountability for victims.

A group of UN human rights experts on Dec. 30 called for Israel to face immediate accountability and consequences for systemic violations of international law. As the armed assault on Gaza and forced displacement of its population continues unabated, the UN experts warned: "We cannot afford to lose the force of the multilateral system." They called for full-scale investigation and an end to impunity in a case of "potential genocide." They called on all states to "take immediate action to hold Israel accountable for its actions and ensure that those responsible are brought to justice.... Only through accountability can the rule of law be upheld and human rights protected."

A group of Palestinian-British individuals has taken initial steps to bring British Petroleum (BP) to court, accusing the company of aiding and abetting war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. The action led by Bimdman's LLP asserts BP's complicity through the continuous supply of crude oil to Israel, facilitated by the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan (BTC) Pipeline, amid ongoing military operations in Gaza since October 2023. The claimants, backed by the International Centre of Justice for Palestinians (ICJP), aim to hold BP responsible for their suffering and press for the company's immediate cessation of activities they say expedite the conflict.