MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION
17.11.2008
pursuant to Rule 103(2) of the Rules of Procedure
by Pasqualina Napoletano, Alain Hutchinson and Ana Maria Gomes
on behalf of the PSE Group
on the EU response to the deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B6-0590/2008
B6‑0595/2008
European Parliament resolution on the EU response to the deteriorating situation in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo
The European Parliament,
– having regard to the Conclusions of the Council of the European Union on the situation in the DRC of 11 November 2008,
– having regard to its resolution of 23 October 2008 on the Democratic Republic of Congo: clashes in the eastern border areas of the DRC,
– having regard to its resolution of 21 February 2008 on 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 its previous resolutions on violations of human rights in the DRC,
– having regard to its resolution of 15 November 2007 on the European Union's response to situations of fragility in developing countries,
– having regard to the resolution of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly of 22 November 2007 on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the east of the country, and its impact on the region,
– having regard to the report on the mission by its Committee on Development to placeNorth Kivu in 2008,
– having regard to Rule 103(2) of its Rules of Procedure,
A. whereas General Laurent Nkunda, the leader of the CNDP rebels, has said he will support a peace process with the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo, following talks with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the former President of the Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo,
B. whereas intense international diplomatic efforts involving regional and European facilitators are under way, with the aim of preventing the fighting in North Kivu from escalating into a repeat of the wider 1998-2003 Congo war, which involved six neighbouring states; whereas a regional summit on the crisis in the east of the DRC was organised on 7 November in Nairobi,
C. whereas since the beginning of the violence, millions of people have been killed and displaced and whereas an estimated 250 000 have been displaced since the resumption of fighting in the DRC by General Laurent Nkunda in August, causing a humanitarian catastrophe in the east of Congo,
D. whereas in spite of its mandate by virtue of Chapter VII of the United Nations Charter, authorising the use of all necessary means to discourage all attempts to use force, and to protect civilians,
- MONUC has shown that it is incapable of protecting civilians since the recent resumption of fighting in the east of the DRC and incapable of disarming and repatriating the Hutu fighters from placecountry-regionRwanda who are present on Congolese territory,
- MONUC systematically awaits the green light from country-regionIndiacountry-region and placePakistan to send Indian and Pakistani soldiers into combat, contrary to the provisions of the mandate on the basis of which MONUC has been deployed there,
- MONUC did not intervene to stop the massacre of more than 200 people which took place on 5 November 2008 in Kiwandja where, nevertheless, one of its military bases is located,
E. whereas only 6000 MONUC soldiers are deployed in Goma out of a total of 17 000,
F. whereas the Member States of the UN Security Council - which includes Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom - have always refused to give MONUC supplementary means to fulfil its mission,
G. whereas following the initiative of European Commissioner Louis Michel, a regional summit took place in Nairobi, during which the Presidents of Congo, Joseph Kabila, and of Rwanda, Paul Kagame, agreed to immediately enforce all the agreements made in the past to ensure peace and sustainable political stability,
H. whereas, however, no immediate ceasefire in the east of the DRC followed that meeting, and violent fighting continued between parties to the conflict, which severely affected the civilian population,
I. whereas MONUC has clearly established that Laurent Nkunda’s fighters are receiving support from Rwanda, and United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has called on African leaders to assume their 'historical responsibility at this critical moment for the region, for Africa and for the world',
J. whereas the situation in the refugee camps is deteriorating from day to day following the massive influx of tens of thousands of people attempting to escape the violence, and whereas the High Commissioner for Refugees expresses fears of possible militarisation of refugee camps,
K. whereas Angolan soldiers have arrived in placeNorth Kivu to help government troops, at the request of the Congolese authorities in the framework of SADC defence agreements,
L. whereas the recruitment of child soldiers in the east of the DRC has increased significantly since the escalation of the conflict,
M. whereas it appears that Congolese troops and fighters belonging to the FDLR (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda) are both involved in the exploitation and sale of minerals in the east of the DRC,
N. whereas the Plan to end the crisis in the East of the Congo Republic was drawn up by Congolese parliamentarians calling for a general mobilisation in favour of military, political and diplomatic dialogue between parties involved in the conflict,
O. whereas the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of France and the United Kingdom, Bernard Kouchner and David Milliband, recommended strengthening MONUC rather than sending a European force to North Kivu but at the same time affirmed that the possibility of sending a European force was not excluded if it became necessary,
1. Is extremely concerned at the increase in clashes in North Kivu and the consequences for the population of the east of the DRC and the region as a whole, particularly humanitarian consequences as a result of the recent offensive by the CNDP, displacing large numbers of people in North Kivu;
2. Welcomes the decisions taken by the Commission and the placePlaceNameMemberPlaceType States to increase humanitarian aid to the civilian population affected by this crisis; calls on all parties involved to guarantee unconditional access to these people;
3. Firmly condemns the continuing massive violations of human rights in the east of the DRC, in particular the numerous cases of sexual violence and the recruitment and use of child soldiers by armed groups;
4. Reiterates its firm belief that the Goma and CityplaceNairobi processes are still the appropriate framework for stabilising the situation in the east of the DRC in the long term;
5. Expresses cautious hope following Laurent Nkunda’s declaration supporting the peace process for the east of the DRC after talks with the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General of the United Nations and the former President of the Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo; calls in this regard on the CNDP to rejoin the Goma peace process without delay; reaffirms its support for the Congolese authorities in the search for a political solution to the crisis; welcomes the plan put forward by the Congolese parliamentarians, which calls for a general mobilisation in favour of military, political and diplomatic dialogue;
6. Stresses the need for further efforts to bring an end to the activity of foreign armed groups in the east of the DRC, in particular FDLR; calls on the governments of the DRC and of other countries in the region to take the necessary steps to this end; calls on the countries in the region to respect the sovereignty of the DRC;
7. Points out that the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the east of the DRC is a source of funding for the rebel groups and, therefore, of instability in the region; reiterates the importance of combating such illegal exploitation; calls in this respect on the Congolese authorities in collaboration with MONUC to close down the economic bases of rebel groups by preventing them from accessing mineral supplies (particularly tin, coltan and gold) and trading networks;
8. Calls on the Commission and Member States to ensure that European companies do not trade in, handle or import products derived from minerals that have been sourced in a manner that benefits armed groups in the DRC, and to hold accountable any that persist in such practices;
9. Calls on the Commission and the Council to make every effort to find a political solution, which is the only way to put an end to the conflicts in the DRC; welcomes, in this regard, the initiative taken by Commissioner Michel to organise a meeting of the President of the DRC and the President of the Republic of Rwanda in Nairobi; calls on the Commission to engage with the authorities of the DRC with a view to implementing the agreement regarding the return of FDLR fighters to Rwanda; urges the authorities of the DRC and the Republic of Rwanda to step up their cooperation in order to implement the commitments entered into in Nairobi, and to give priority to dialogue and consultation to help bring about lasting peace in the east of the DRC and stability in the region;
10. Calls on the Council and Commission to continue to contribute to the diplomatic efforts which are essential to consolidate the ceasefire and ease tensions in the long term, in particular in the framework of international facilitation;
11. Reiterates its support for MONUC in difficult circumstances and urges that all efforts should be made to allow it to fully assume its role; in this respect, recalls the necessity to immediately reinforce MONUC and calls on the Commission, the Council and in particular Belgium, France, Italy and the United Kingdom to play a leading role in ensuring that the United Nations Security Council supports this reinforcement by strengthening the operational capacities of MONUC in terms of appropriate equipment and manpower;
12. Calls on the Commission and the Council to urge the UN Security Council to provide MONUC with the mandate and the means to address the exploitation of minerals by armed groups, including by monitoring and controlling key border posts, airstrips, selected mining areas and supply routes;
13. Calls on the Council to take a decision about sending European troops to the east of the DRC on the basis of the situation on the ground and the ability of the EU to improve it; if the Council decides to deploy a military ESDP mission, calls for a mandate focusing on the protection of civilians, as well as supporting and contributing to respect for new peace agreements which could be concluded;
14. Calls on the Council and the Commission to draw up, together with the Government of the DRC, the UN and other major donors, a new plan for large-scale Disarmament, Demobilisation and Reintegration (DDR) in the DRC based on the EU Concept for Support to DDR and an ambitious Security Sector Reform Strategy for the country based on the EU's Policy Framework for Security Sector Reform, both to be adequately financed by both Community and CFSP funding;
15. Calls on the Government of the DRC to do everything possible to identify those responsible for the war crimes committed in Kiwandja, and bring them to justice;
16. Welcomes the involvement of the States of the region in the quest for a solution to the crisis; notes with interest the appointment of a team of facilitators including the former President of the Republic of Nigeria Olusegun Obasanjo and the former President of the United Republic of Tanzania Benjamin Mkapa; calls on the Council to work together with the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region and the African Union to stabilise the situation in the east of the DRC;
17. Calls on the Council to work with international and regional mediators to address the economic agendas of the warring parties explicitly in the context of current mediation efforts;
18. Calls on the Council and Commission to closely follow the humanitarian and security situation in the east of the DRC;
19. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Member States, the General Secretary of the African Union and the governments of the DRC and SADC.