Charles Tannock, on behalf of the ECR Group. – Mr President, Madam High Representative, with its abundance of natural resources and strategic location at the heart of Africa, it’s a tragedy that the DRC is associated with little but corrupt governance, conflict and instability. Having been subjected to 32 years of Mobutu’s tyranny, in which he robbed the country of vast amounts of money, imposed an authoritarian regime and saw the country fall into a state of near—lawlessness, bequeathing to the world the term ‘kleptocracy’ for his government, we now find ourselves in 2016 faced again with the prospect of a president that refuses to be bound by constitutional term limits and stand down, which is of course is a great alarm to the European Union.

Having served two terms after succeeding to the presidency at the young age of 29, Kabila Jr. is now seeking to become a Mobutu II. In the myriad of hotspots around the world, it’s tempting for some to dismiss the current constitutional crisis in Kinshasa as a problem that the European Union and Member States can ill afford to spend much time on. Whilst it’s right that we allow the African Union to take a lead on this and support the mediation of the former Prime Minister of Togo, Edem Kodjo, we should also remind ourselves of the deep divisions that exist within the Democratic Republic of Congo and the potential for bloody conflict that this volatile situation could lead to if left unresolved.