[Congressional Record Volume 161, Number 156 (Friday, October 23, 2015)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1525]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 AFRICA'S GREAT LAKES REGION: A SECURITY, POLITICAL, AND HUMANITARIAN 
                               CHALLENGE

                                 ______
                                 

                       HON. CHRISTOPHER H. SMITH

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Friday, October 23, 2015

  Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, to say that the Great Lakes 
region of Africa is troubled would be an understatement. Burundi is 
experiencing continued turmoil due to a recent contentious election. 
The Democratic Republic of the Congo, or DRC, has had some level of 
conflict since the late 1990s. The Lord's Resistance Army, also known 
as the LRA, has plagued several of these countries. Alleged plundering 
of DRC resources by Rwanda and Uganda have never been fully resolved. 
Nations in the region have been preoccupied in the last two years with 
resolving the South Sudan civil war.
   Definitions vary, but the Great Lakes region, as defined by the U.S. 
Department of State, comprises Burundi, the DRC, Rwanda, and Uganda. 
The region is among the most densely populated in Africa, especially 
around Lake Victoria and Lake Tanganyika, and enjoys rich agricultural 
potential, water resources, minerals, and wildlife. However, political 
instability, conflict, humanitarian crises, and a lack of development 
remain key challenges.
   These four countries are the purview of the U.S. Special Envoy to 
the Great Lakes, Tom Perriello, whom we had before my subcommittee 
yesterday. We also had Assistant Secretary of State for African Affairs 
Linda Thomas-Greenfield, who has spent a great deal of her time in 
office dealing with Great Lakes issues.
   Yesterday's hearing offered an opportunity to hear from these 
administration officials not only about continuing U.S. efforts to 
extinguish the LRA threat, but also the administration's work with 
governments in the region on issues such as peace building, governance 
and adherence to international human rights and democracy standards.
   In our subcommittee hearings over the last three years, we have 
uncovered numerous troubling situations:
   Even with the supposed end of operations by the M23 militia in 
eastern DRC in late 2013, there are several other militias still 
causing instability in the region.
   The Kabila government in the DRC is reportedly using a ban on 
completing foreign adoptions as leverage to ward off actions to prevent 
him from prolonging his rule despite a constitutional bar to any 
reelection bid.
   Burundi President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision to run for a third 
term, which some Burundians and outside observers viewed as a violation 
of a landmark peace agreement--and, arguably, the Constitution of 
Burundi--has led to a political crisis and heightened concerns about 
regional stability.
   Human rights abuses in Rwanda were found to be targeted toward real 
or perceived political opponents prior to 2012, but after 2012, such 
abuses were seen as more random, expanding the targets of the regime.
   Maj. Robert Higero, a retired Rwandan military officer, told our 
subcommittee on May 20th about his solicitation by the Rwandan 
intelligence chief to kill to high-level defectors. He turned against 
the government and informed the targets who asked him to record the 
offer. He did, and the recording was validated by the Globe and Mail in 
Canada and the British Broadcasting Corporation. The State Department 
has not only found the allegations to be credible but warned Maj. 
Higero to leave Belgium where his life was in danger.
   Although LRA killings have diminished in the past few years, 
kidnappings by the group have risen as it operates in smaller, 
scattered cells, using more adults as temporary labor. One witness at 
our hearing last month said an end to the U.S. support for the counter-
LRA effort would be ``devastating.''
   We have heard of the difficulties of addressing issues in this 
troubled region of Africa by both government and private witnesses over 
the past few years. However, the fates of these countries are 
interconnected, and our policies need to take this into account.
   There are numerous issues in the Great Lakes countries that require 
examination, and we discussed yesterday what should be a coordinated 
U.S. policy in this region and we heard from our witnesses what the 
prospects are for this policy to be implemented.

                          ____________________