[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 155 (2009), Part 23]
[Senate]
[Pages 31507-31508]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                                 CONGO

  Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, last month, the United Nations Group of 
Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo presented its latest report 
to the U.N. Security Council. Over the years, the Group of Experts has 
conducted critical investigations into violations of the sanctions and 
the U.N. arms embargo toward Congo as well as human rights abuses and 
the linkages between natural resource exploitation and the financing of 
illegal armed groups. Yet, too often, the Group of Experts' reports and 
recommendations have not resulted in action by the Security Council 
and/or U.N. member states. I hope it will be different with this 
report, especially since it identifies a number of concrete steps 
through which U.N. member states can address the financial and support 
networks that fuel the violence in eastern Congo.
  This new Group of Experts report particularly focuses on the FDLR, 
the armed group comprising many former Rwandan genocidaires that is at 
the heart of the instability in eastern Congo. It documents how this 
group continues to benefit from ``residual but significant support'' 
from top commanders of the Congolese military. It also documents how 
this group is supported by a far-reaching international Diaspora 
network. Based on records of satellite phones, the Group of Experts 
found that the FDLR commanders frequently communicate with people in 
twenty-five different countries in Europe, North America and Africa. 
The report also mentions credible reports and testimony that the FDLR 
is using Burundi ``as a rear base'' for regrouping and recruitment 
purposes.
  To address these continued support networks, the Group of Experts 
recommends that U.N. member states direct their respective law 
enforcement and security agencies to conduct investigations and share 
relevant information on FDLR Diaspora members providing material 
support to the group. The Group also calls on member states to 
prosecute violations of the sanctions regime by their nationals or 
leaders of armed groups that are currently residing within their 
countries. The report cites three such leaders who have resided in 
France and Germany. With regard to the Congolese military, the Group 
recommends that the Security Council require member states to notify 
and get approval from the Sanctions Committee for all deliveries of 
military equipment and provision of training to Congo. This would help 
ensure that international assistance is not contributing to abusive 
behavior or going to units of the military believed to be colluding 
with armed groups.
  Building on its previous reports, the Group of Experts report also 
shows how the FDLR and other armed groups continue to benefit from the 
exploitation of natural resources. According to this Group's 
investigations, the FDLR continues to get millions of dollars in direct 
financing from gold and cassiterite reserves in eastern Congo. The 
report illustrates how gold from eastern Congo is smuggled out to 
Uganda and Burundi, and then travels on to the United Arab Emirates and 
ultimately international markets. Similarly, the report documents how 
former rebels of the CNDP--who have ostensibly become part of the 
Congolese military--continue to control and exploit mineral-rich areas. 
In fact, two of the most lucrative mining sites are reportedly 
controlled by units of the Congolese military that are composed almost 
exclusively of former CNDP units. This is especially worrying in the 
context of the CNDP's integration into the Congolese military, which is 
still extremely fragile.
  I have long called for action to address the armed exploitation of 
Congo's minerals, which fuels this conflict. I was pleased to join with 
Senators Brownback and Durbin earlier this year to introduce the Congo 
Conflict Minerals Act, S. 891, which would commit the United States to 
address this issue comprehensively. And I was glad that Secretary 
Clinton spoke about this issue during her visit to Congo in August. As 
the Group of Experts report makes clear, armed groups will continue to 
exploit the region's rich mineral base as long as it is profitable. The 
Group of Experts recommends that member states take necessary measures 
to clarify the due diligence obligations of companies under their 
respective jurisdictions that operate with these minerals. The Group 
also calls for the Congolese government to establish an independent 
monitoring team, with international support, to conduct spot checks of 
mines and mineral trading routes.
  I am glad that there is increasing outrage about what is happening in 
eastern Congo. It is the single deadliest conflict since the Second 
World War

[[Page 31508]]

and millions have been displaced from their homes, forced to live in 
squalid conditions. Countless women and girls and some men and boys in 
the Congo have endured rape and sexual violence. But our outrage means 
little unless it translates into concrete actions to fundamentally 
change the situation in Congo. We need to finally get serious about 
addressing the underlying issues that make this war profitable and 
allow it to persist. The Group of Experts has provided a clear picture 
of some of those issues as well as specific ways that U.N. member 
states can address them, including within our own national 
jurisdictions. I applaud the Group for its courageous work. I strongly 
hope that the Security Council will pursue the report's 
recommendations, and I urge the Obama administration to lead the way in 
this respect.

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