Genocost

The term Genocost means genocide for economic gains. "A regime of destruction of a population through the systemic economic exploitation of its vital resources, the disintegration of its socioeconomic structures, and durable harms to its environment, when such effects are willed, known, or accepted as a necessary cost of profit or geoeconomic domination". The expression, referring to the human, social, and economic cost of armed conflicts linked to the exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, has been incorporated into the national legal framework. Law No. 22/065 of December 26, 2022 notably established the National Reparations Fund (FONAREV), responsible for assisting victims of conflict-related sexual violence and other serious crimes. This concept is also supported by civil society organizations advocating for the official recognition and reparation of the suffering endured by millions of people.

== Context == In , after the Rwandan genocide, between 1 million and 1.4 million refugees, mostly Hutus, including some forces responsible for the massacres, the Interahamwe militias, members of the Interim Rwandan government and the former Forces armées rwandaises (ex-FAR), settled in eastern Zaire, currently known as the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Their arrival strongly destabilized the region, triggering rising ethnic tensions and violent clashes between militias, refugees and local communities. This situation caused the collapse of infrastructures and exposed both refugees and Congolese populations to hunger and epidemics.