MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
17.11.2008
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Thierry Cornillet, Philippe Morillon, Renate Weber, Marios Matsakis, Fiona Hall, Frédérique Ries
on behalf of the ALDE Group
on the deterioration of the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0590/2008
B6‑0592/2008
European Parliament resolution on the deterioration of the situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
The European Parliament,
– having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2008 on the Democratic Republic of. placecountry-regionCongo: clashes in the eastern border areas of the DRC,
– having regard to the resolution of 21 February 2008 on the situation in placeNorth Kivu,
– having regard to its resolution of 17 January 2008 on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo and rape as a war crime and to its previous resolutions on human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC),
– having regard to the resolution of 22 November 2007 of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in particular in the east, and its impact on the region,
– having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2007 on the EU response to situations of fragility in developing countries,
– having regard to the communication from the Commission to the Council, the European Parliament, the European Economic and Social Committee and the Committee of the Regions entitled 'Towards an EU response to situations of fragility - engaging in difficult environments for sustainable development, stability and peace' (COM(2007)0643) and to the Commission staff working document annexed thereto (SEC(2007)1417),
– having regard to Resolution 60/1 of the UN General Assembly of October 2005 on the 2005 World Summit outcome, and in particular paragraphs 138 to 140 thereof on the responsibility to protect populations,
– having regard to the Council declaration of 10 October 2008 on the situation in the east of the DRC,
– having regard to the Council's conclusions of 10 and 11 November 2008 on the DRC,
– having regard to the conclusions of the SADC summit concerning readiness 'if necessary' to send peace-.keeping troops to placeNorth Kivu,
– having regard to the European Consensus on Humanitarian Aid, signed on 18 December 2007,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas the fighting between the Congolese army, the rebel troops of ousted General Laurent Nkunda and the fighters of the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), as well as troops of country-regionPersonNameUganda's Lord's Resistance Army (LRA), has been worsening and continues to cause tremendous hardship to the civilian populations of placeNorth Kivu,
B. having regard to the mission of Sunday, 16 November 2008 of the UN envoy, former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo and the resultant agreement with the rebel leader Laurent Nkunda on the creation of a tripartite committee to monitor a ceasefire between army and rebels, and to the urgent need for the support of the powers which are partners of the countries involved, with a view to ensuring a solution,
C. whereas since the resumption of fighting in the DRC in the placeNorth Kivu region on 23 August 2008 by the supporters of General Laurent Nkunda, 252 000 people have been displaced, 100 000 of them in the last few days, and there have been many civilian victims of the clashes,
D. whereas fighting between government forces and rebels has broken out again, right after the regional summit held in CityplaceNairobi on 7 November 2008 on a negotiated solution to the crisis in the eastern DRC,
E. having regard to the 'crisis resolution plan' adopted on 29 October 2008 by the Congolese parliament, proposing a diplomatic and political solution,
F. whereas on 11 November 2008 the UN Security Council once again discussed the situation in the eastern DRC, refusing to accept a capacity reinforcement for MONUC which would have involved sending 3000 more 'blue helmets',
G. having regard to the risks of internationalisation of the conflict arising from the sending of troops from country-regionAngola and country-regionZimbabwe to support the DRC government and from placecountry-regionRwanda in support of Laurent Nkunda,
H. whereas humanitarian organisations are currently responsible for 200 000 refugees in the camps around the town of Goma and estimate that there may be as many as 1 m civilians hiding in the bush in order to escape the violence,
I. whereas humanitarian aid workers have reported that the local and displaced populations in the eastern provinces of the DRC are becoming progressively weaker and that the continuing warfare is preventing aid workers from gaining access to certain areas which are in need of urgent food and medical aid,
J. having regard to the worsening epidemics in North Kivu, with cholera, measles and whooping cough spreading as huge numbers of displaced people are being lodged in temporary sites,
K. whereas members of the FARDC (the Congolese army) are perpetrating extortion and pillage at the expense of the civilian population, notably in the Kanyabayonga area (north of Rutshuru),
L. whereas there have been widespread human rights abuses in the eastern DRC, including numerous cases of sexual violence and forced recruitment of child soldiers by the different armed groups,
M. whereas the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the eastern placecountry-regionCongo is a source of financing for the rebel groups, thus contributing to destabilisation in the region,
1. Is extremely concerned at the renewed fighting between the Congolese army and the resurgent militias in placeNorth Kivu;
2. Expresses its deep anxiety at the prospect of this warfare taking on a regional dimension;
3. Is aware that the humanitarian situation in North Kivu remains chaotic, in the wake of the fighting which has displaced huge numbers of people; welcomes the decisions made by the principal donors (among them ECHO and the Member States) to step up the provision of humanitarian aid to the civilian populations affected;
4. Draws attention to the difficulties faced by the humanitarian organisations in delivering humanitarian assistance thanks to the security situation in North Kivu; calls on all parties to guarantee access to vulnerable communities and ensure the safety of aid workers so that the humanitarian presence can continue; recalls that military means and capacities should be used to back up humanitarian aid operations only in very specific circumstances and as a last resort;
5. Welcomes the EU initiative concerning the supply of airborne resources with a view to airlifting food to the thousands of refugees at risk of starvation thanks to the fighting;
6. Urges all parties to respect the ceasefire, and stresses the need to pursue efforts to put an end to the involvement of foreign armed groups in the eastern DRC;
7. Reaffirms its support for MONUC, in the present dramatic circumstances in which, despite its shortcomings, its presence remains indispensable; calls for every effort to be made to allow it to carry out its mandate in full and use the force of arms to protect those under threat;
8. Calls on the international community and the UN Security Council to reinforce MONUC by providing appropriate materials and staff, so that the mandate can be fulfilled and as requested by MONUC;
9. Calls for the reinforcement of cooperation between the EU, the placePlaceNameMemberPlaceType States and MONUC;
10. Welcomes the fact that the Presidents of the DRC and country-regionRwanda met at the CityNairobi summit of 7 November 2008 on peace and stability in the placeGreat Lakes region, on the initiative of Commissioner Michel;
11. Calls on the Council to keep a close watch on humanitarian and security developments in the eastern DRC, with a view to determining in more detail the different lines of action that may be envisaged in the light of circumstances;
12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Commission, the governments of the EU Member States, the governments of the DRC and the placeGreat Lakes states, the institutions of the African Union, SADC, and the UN Secretary-General.