[Congressional Record Volume 159, Number 69 (Thursday, May 16, 2013)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3581-S3582]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




     SENATE RESOLUTION 144--CONCERNING THE ONGOING CONFLICT IN THE 
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO AND THE NEED FOR INTERNATIONAL EFFORTS 
 SUPPORTING LONG-TERM PEACE, STABILITY, AND OBSERVANCE OF HUMAN RIGHTS

  Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Boozman, and Mr. Isakson) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 144

       Whereas, since the 1990s, an estimated 5,000,000 people 
     have died due to repeated cycles of conflict, lack of 
     governance, and atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the 
     Congo, particularly those in North and South Kivu provinces, 
     and, since the beginning of 2012, more than 2,000,000 people 
     have been displaced;
       Whereas the United Nations and humanitarian groups have 
     reported staggering rates of sexual violence indicating tens 
     of thousands of cases perpetrated by security forces of the 
     Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and non-
     state armed groups, which continue to operate with nearly 
     total impunity;
       Whereas human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic 
     of the Congo have been subject to intimidation and attack;
       Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo's wealth of 
     natural resources, including minerals, have been a key driver 
     of instability and violence;
       Whereas the deeply flawed November 2011 presidential 
     election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo presented 
     significant political, economic, and social challenges, and 
     provincial and local elections still have not been conducted 
     despite plans to hold such elections in 2012;
       Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains 
     subject to recurring conflict despite one of the world's 
     longest-running, largest, and most expensive international 
     peacekeeping operations and extensive bilateral and 
     multilateral efforts to address longstanding humanitarian 
     crises, forge lasting peace, and pursue security sector 
     reform and accountability;
       Whereas members of civil society and political parties from 
     both the majority and the opposition in the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo created the National Preparatory 
     Committee (Comite National Preparatoire or CNP) to lay the 
     groundwork for convening a national forum and dialogue with 
     the goal of putting an end to the multifaceted crisis that 
     afflicts the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
       Whereas, on November 15, 2012, the United Nations Group of 
     Experts provided compelling evidence that the crisis in 
     eastern Congo had been fueled and exacerbated by regional 
     actors, including through provision of significant military 
     and logistical assistance and of operational and political 
     support to the armed group known as the M23;
       Whereas the United Nations and United States Government 
     have imposed sanctions on the M23 and its leaders for human 
     rights atrocities including rape, massacres, and the 
     recruitment and physical and psychological torture of child 
     soldiers;
       Whereas, on March 18, 2013, International Criminal Court 
     (ICC) indictee and leader of a faction of the M23 rebel 
     group, Bosco Ntaganda, turned himself in to the United States 
     Embassy in Kigali, asking to be transferred to the ICC in The 
     Hague, where he voluntary surrendered on March 22, 2013;
       Whereas the Lord's Resistance Army continues to perpetrate 
     attacks against civilian populations in affected areas of 
     northeastern Congo, creating widespread insecurity and 
     displacement;
       Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and 9 
     other countries on February 24, 2013, signed the Peace, 
     Security and Cooperation Framework that provides for a 
     comprehensive approach to the ongoing conflict;
       Whereas the United Nations Security Council adopted 
     Resolution 2098 on March 28, 2013, extending the mandate of 
     the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission 
     (MONUSCO) and authorizing the creation of an intervention 
     brigade tasked with neutralizing armed groups; and
       Whereas, on March 18, 2013, United Nations Secretary-
     General Ban Ki-Moon appointed former President of Ireland and 
     High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, to serve 
     as Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region: Now, therefore, 
     be it
       Resolved, That the Senate--
       (1) commends United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon's 
     commitment and leadership to resolving the crisis in the 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo and his appointment of Mary 
     Robinson as United Nations Special Envoy to the Great Lakes;
       (2) supports the commitments agreed to by the signatories 
     of the Peace, Security and Cooperation (in this resolution, 
     the ``Framework''), and encourages them to work closely with 
     the United Nations, the African Union, the International 
     Conference on the Great Lakes Region, the Southern African 
     Development Community, as guarantors of

[[Page S3582]]

     the Framework, and the United Nations Special Envoy, MONUSCO, 
     and relevant international bodies and governments to develop, 
     implement, and enforce a comprehensive peace process for the 
     region;
       (3) notes that the adoption of the Framework, the 
     appointment of Mary Robinson as United Nations Special Envoy 
     to the Great Lakes, and the expanded MONUSCO mandate provide 
     an opportunity to make meaningful and sustained progress 
     toward ending the recurrent cycles of violence in the 
     Democratic Republic of the Congo, especially in eastern 
     Congo;
       (4) urges the signatories of the Framework and the 
     international community to engage and consult with 
     representatives of the Government of the Democratic Republic 
     of the Congo and civil society representatives engaged in the 
     ongoing effort to convene an inclusive national forum and 
     dialogue;
       (5) urges the President to appoint a Special Envoy to the 
     Great Lakes in the near-term in order to represent the United 
     States in international and regional efforts to end the 
     conflict and secure sustainable peace, stability, and safety 
     for the people of the Democratic Republic of the Congo by--
       (A) working with United Nations Special Envoy Mary Robinson 
     and the broader international community to promote a 
     transparent and inclusive process to implement the regional 
     and national commitments under the Framework, including the 
     development of clear benchmarks for progress and appropriate 
     follow-on measures;
       (B) strengthening international efforts to mobilize and 
     support justice for victims and accountability for 
     perpetrators of sexual and gender based violence and other 
     human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo;
       (C) expanding efforts to develop conflict-free and 
     responsible mining and supply chains for the region's vast 
     mineral resources, in coordination with other government, 
     private industry, and international and local organizations;
       (D) coordinating with international and regional partners 
     to expand unhindered access to life-saving humanitarian 
     assistance to populations in need, particularly displaced 
     persons and conflict-affected communities;
       (E) pressing for fulfillment of the commitment of the 
     Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well 
     as other regional actors, to ending the threat posed by the 
     M23, the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), the Democratic Forces 
     for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and other armed groups 
     in the Great Lakes region, and to facilitate enhanced 
     coordination of regional efforts to counter these groups; and
       (F) mobilizing and facilitating United States and 
     international support for electoral reforms in the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo, with the goal of encouraging free, 
     fair, and credible provincial and local elections in the 
     near-term, and presidential elections in 2016;
       (6) calls on the President to support the creation of a 
     World Bank Fund for the Great Lakes Region, as part of a 
     coordinated international investment and development strategy 
     aimed at deepening regional economic integration and 
     stability and leveraging reform;
       (7) calls on the President, in close coordination with 
     international and regional partners, to work with the 
     Government of the Democratic Republic of the Congo to develop 
     and implement recommendations to improve accountability for 
     serious violations of international humanitarian law and 
     human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 
     including by considering imposition of sanctions authorized 
     under section 1284 of the National Defense Authorization Act 
     for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 112-239; 50 U.S.C. 1701 
     note);
       (8) calls on governments of the Great Lakes region of 
     Africa to immediately halt and prevent any and all forms of 
     support to non-state armed groups, including support provided 
     by individuals independent of government policy;
       (9) calls on all relevant nations, including destination 
     and transit countries, to increase cooperation on ending the 
     illicit trade in conflict minerals, wildlife, and wildlife 
     parts, which continues to fuel and fund violence and to 
     deprive citizens of economic opportunity in the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo and the broader region;
       (10) calls on the signatories of the Framework to cooperate 
     in the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for 
     violating international humanitarian law and for serious 
     human rights violations, including gender-based violence;
       (11) calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of 
     the Congo to engage in meaningful and inclusive electoral 
     reforms, prepare and hold impartially administered local and 
     provincial elections as soon as technically possible, 
     continue to participate in ongoing efforts to provide a 
     platform for inclusive dialogue within the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo to address critical internal political 
     issues, and strengthen processes of state institution 
     building;
       (12) calls on the Government of the Democratic Republic of 
     the Congo, in coordination with the international community, 
     to undertake significant security sector reform, which is a 
     necessary component for lasting stability, and renewed 
     disarmament, demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) efforts 
     that ensure that any rebel troops, especially commanders, 
     responsible for human rights violations are held accountable 
     and not reintegrated into the Armed Forces of the Democratic 
     Republic of the Congo (FARDC); and
       (13) urges the Government of the Democratic Republic of the 
     Congo to improve efforts to protect civilians from armed 
     groups, in cooperation with MONUSCO and the African Union's 
     Regional Cooperation Initiative on the LRA.

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