Abuse of power & retaliationOversight & ethics enforcementSexual abuse & harassment

Congolese army units 'Satan II' and 'Guépard' raped and looted civilians while retreating from the front line, a UN-mandated inquiry found

Confidence: Confirmed · 2 sourcesDemocratic Republic of the Congo · Oct 12, 2026

Subject of this story

Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) — 'Satan II' and 'Guépard' units

Also named

Oversight

UN Fact-Finding Mission on North and South Kivu

What happened

The UN Human Rights Council's Fact-Finding Mission on North and South Kivu (A/HRC/60/80, September 2025) identified soldiers of the Armed Forces of the DRC's 'Guépard' and 'Satan II' units, deployed on the South Kivu frontline, as responsible for repeated rape and looting of civilians during their retreat in January and February 2025, following a consistent pattern across multiple locations. The mission found reasonable grounds that FARDC soldiers and allied groups committed war crimes including pillage, rape and sexual slavery, and said the DRC bears state responsibility for violations by its forces during the retreat; it could not conclude whether the acts met the standard for crimes against humanity. The UN Secretary-General's 2026 report on conflict-related sexual violence attributes 285 cases in 2025 to the Armed Forces (a 60 percent increase), says military judges convicted 35 Armed Forces members and three armed-group elements for rape and sexual slavery, and says the government adopted army and police road maps after a July visit by the UN Special Representative.

Sources (2)

UN Secretary-General, Conflict-related sexual violence report (S/2026/321)Some 305 cases were attributed to State actors, of which 285 implicated the Armed Forces – a 60 per cent increase from 2024 ... Military judges convicted 35 members of the Armed Forces and three armed group elements for sexual slavery and rape, including in captivity.

OHCHR Fact-Finding Mission on North and South Kivu (A/HRC/60/80)Sources specifically identified members of the 'Guépard' and 'Satan II' FARDC units, deployed along the South Kivu frontline, as responsible for multiple incidents of sexual violence and looting ... Perpetrators operated in large groups and in multiple localities simultaneously, in a manner that reflected recurring patterns of rape and looting, rather than isolated acts.

Response

Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (FARDC) — 'Satan II' and 'Guépard' units

Statement given

Contacted and responded — exact wording not on record.

What happened next (0)

No outcome recorded yet.

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