[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 713 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 713

Calling on all parties to the escalating violence in eastern Democratic 
Republic of Congo to implement an immediate ceasefire and work with the 
   support of the international community toward a comprehensive and 
                    lasting solution to this crisis.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           November 20, 2008

 Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Leahy, Mr. Harkin, Mr. 
 Durbin, Mr. Kerry, Mr. Dodd, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Menendez, 
   Mr. Isakson, Ms. Klobuchar, Mrs. Boxer, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Bond, Mr. 
   Coleman, Mr. Lautenberg, and Mr. Nelson of Florida) submitted the 
        following resolution; which was considered and agreed to

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling on all parties to the escalating violence in eastern Democratic 
Republic of Congo to implement an immediate ceasefire and work with the 
   support of the international community toward a comprehensive and 
                    lasting solution to this crisis.

Whereas the Democratic Republic of Congo was devastated by civil wars lasting 
        from 1996 to 1997 and 1998 to 2003, spawning some of the world's worst 
        human rights violations and involving at least 6 neighboring countries;
Whereas, despite the signing of a peace agreement and subsequent withdrawal of 
        foreign forces in 2003, eastern Congo has continued to suffer from high 
        levels of poverty, insecurity, and absent or inadequate institutions, 
        allowing armed and criminal groups to operate freely;
Whereas continuing abuses committed by the national military against civilians 
        in Congo and apparent ties between the military and armed groups in the 
        region have tainted attempts to restore the rule of law in the eastern 
        region of the country;
Whereas, according to a study by the International Rescue Committee released in 
        January 2008, the conflict and related humanitarian crises in the 
        Democratic Republic of Congo have taken the lives of an estimated 
        5,400,000 people since 1998 and continue to cause as many as 45,000 
        deaths each month;
Whereas sexual violence and rape remain a pervasive tool of warfare used by all 
        parties in eastern Congo to terrorize communities, affecting hundreds of 
        thousands of women and girls and frequently resulting in traumatic 
        fistula and other severe genital injuries;
Whereas the continued plunder and trade of eastern Congo's rich mineral base, 
        notably cassiterite, coltan, and gold, by armed groups and members of 
        the national military make war profitable and undermine peace efforts;
Whereas the Governments of the Democratic Republic of Congo and Rwanda signed 
        the Nairobi Communique in November 2007, committing to work together to 
        address the continued activity of the Democratic Forces for the 
        Liberation of Rwanda and other armed groups operating in their shared 
        border region;
Whereas, on January 23, 2008, with the active support of the international 
        community, the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, and 22 
        armed groups in the eastern region signed the Goma accord, committing to 
        an immediate ceasefire and buffer zones for troop disengagement and 
        ultimately disarmament;
Whereas these agreements together provided the first working framework in years 
        for peace and lasting stability in eastern Congo, but a continued 
        culture of impunity and suspicion has impeded their implementation;
Whereas the United Nations reported more than 200 violations of these agreements 
        between January and July of 2008, as well as 2,000 cases of rape and 
        hundreds of people killed;
Whereas hate speech inciting ethnic violence by local and national leaders in 
        Congo continued during this period, feeding the concerns and perceived 
        insecurity of minority Tutsi communities;
Whereas, since August 28, 2008, fighting has resumed in North Kivu Province 
        between the national military and the forces of General Laurent Nkunda, 
        known as the National Congress for the Defense of the People, the latter 
        of which has taken control of several government military bases and 
        major towns around the city of Goma;
Whereas, according to Human Rights Watch, an estimated 250,000 people have been 
        forced to flee their homes as a result of this renewed fighting in 
        eastern Congo, often without access to shelter, water, food, and 
        medicine, and adding to the over 1,000,000 people already displaced from 
        North and South Kivu;
Whereas the United Nations Mission in Congo, known by its French acronym MONUC, 
        has proven unable to protect civilians in light of this new offensive by 
        General Nkunda's forces, causing resentment and protests by local 
        communities;
Whereas allegations of troops from Angola, Rwanda, and Zimbabwe crossing into 
        eastern Congo have strained existing regional tensions and increased 
        fears of a wider war that could draw other countries from the region 
        into the fighting, as happened in 1998;
Whereas the United Nations' Special Representative of the Secretary-General for 
        the Democratic Republic of Congo, Alan Doss, and United Nations 
        Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon have called for more troops and better 
        capabilities for MONUC to stop the rebel offensive and protect 
        civilians;
Whereas United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon traveled to Nairobi, Kenya, 
        on November 7, 2008, and convened a summit of regional leaders, 
        including the heads of state of the Democratic Republic of Congo and 
        Rwanda, which led to a joint statement calling for an immediate 
        ceasefire and the creation of humanitarian corridors; and
Whereas, in 2006, Congress passed the Democratic Republic of the Congo Relief, 
        Security, and Democracy Promotion Act of 2006, which was signed into law 
        by President George W. Bush on December 22, 2006 (Public Law 109-456), 
        stating that it is the policy of the United States to work for peace and 
        security throughout the Democratic Republic of Congo by supporting 
        efforts to protect civilians, to disarm illegal armed groups, and to 
        hold accountable individuals, entities, and countries working to 
        destabilize the country: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) condemns the continuing violence, forcible recruitment 
        of children as soldiers, and abuses against civilians in 
        eastern Democratic Republic of Congo;
            (2) calls on the national military in Congo, the National 
        Congress for the Defense of the People, and all armed groups 
        operating in eastern Congo to cease hostilities, end all human 
        rights abuses, and respect an immediate ceasefire based on the 
        principles of the Goma agreement;
            (3) calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of 
        Congo to meet its obligations under the Lusaka Agreement of 
        1999, the Pretoria Agreement of 2002, and the Nairobi 
        Communique of 2007 to take action to end the threat posed by 
        the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda;
            (4) calls on the Governments of the Democratic Republic of 
        Congo and Rwanda--
                    (A) to fully restore bilateral relations;
                    (B) to work together to mitigate escalating 
                tensions in the region; and
                    (C) to break any ties that still exist between them 
                and illegal armed groups in eastern Congo;
            (5) calls on all governments in the Great Lakes region of 
        Africa and those of the Southern African Development Community 
        to support a peaceful resolution to the crisis while ensuring 
        that the volatile situation does not spark a wider regional 
        war;
            (6) supports the efforts of the United Nations Secretary-
        General, his newly appointed United Nations Special Envoy, 
        former President of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo, and the 
        international facilitation team to bring all parties to the 
        negotiating table and establish a clear roadmap to implement 
        the signed peace agreements;
            (7) encourages the international community to take 
        immediate measures to enhance the effectiveness of the United 
        Nations Mission in Congo to protect civilians, specifically 
        through increased troops and additional capabilities as 
        requested by the Secretary-General;
            (8) urges the President to sustain high-level diplomatic 
        engagement together with the African Union, the European Union, 
        and the United Nations to avert a wider regional war and revive 
        a comprehensive peace process in eastern Congo;
            (9) urges the United States and the international community 
        to develop and support monitoring and verification mechanisms 
        that can hold the parties in Congo accountable to the signed 
        peace agreements, investigate alleged ceasefire violations, and 
        ultimately challenge the continued culture of impunity in 
        Congo; and
            (10) urges the President and the international community to 
        adopt measures to help the regional governments to identify and 
        ultimately address the factors underlying the conflict in 
        eastern Congo, especially weak governance and the exploitation 
        of the region's lucrative minerals.
                                 <all>