MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

10.9.2013 - (2013/2822(RSP))

with request for inclusion in the agenda for a debate on cases of breaches of human rights, democracy and the rule of law
pursuant to Rule 122 of the Rules of Procedure

Mariya Gabriel, Cristian Dan Preda, Bernd Posselt, Filip Kaczmarek, Tunne Kelam, Roberta Angelilli, Eija-Riitta Korhola, Monica Luisa Macovei, Philippe Boulland, Jean Roatta, Sergio Paolo Francesco Silvestris, Giovanni La Via, Eduard Kukan, Sari Essayah, Petri Sarvamaa, Laima Liucija Andrikienė, Jarosław Leszek Wałęsa, Krzysztof Lisek, Bogusław Sonik on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B7-0390/2013

B7‑0391/2013

European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo

(2013/2822(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to Article 122 of its Rules of Procedure,

 

– having regard to United Nations Security Council resolutions, particularly Resolution 2098 (2013),

 

- having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966),

 

– having regard to Article 3 of, and Protocol II to, the Geneva Convention of 1949, which prohibit summary executions, rape, enforced recruitment and other atrocities,

 

- having regard to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989, which, in particular, prohibits the involvement of children in armed conflicts,

 

- having regard to the Optional Protocol to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child concerning the involvement of children in armed conflicts, which has been ratified by the countries in the Great Lakes region;

 

- having regard to the resolution of the Joint Parliamentary Assembly ACP - UE on the situation of instability and insecurity in the Great Lakes Region and, in particular, in the esat of the Democratic Republic of Congo, adopted in November 2012 in Panamaribo,

 

- having regard to the Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework for DRC and the region signed in Addis Ababa on the 24 February 2013,

 

- having regard to the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes Region, adopted by the Heads of State and Government of the Member States of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region in Nairobi in December 2006, which entered into force in June 2008, and having regard to the declaration made by the Head of States and Governments members of the ICGLR on the security situation in the East of the Democratic Republic of Congo on the 31 July 2013,

 

- having regard to the Statement by EU High Representative Catherine Ashton on the situation in North Kivu on the 30 of August 2013,

 

– having regard to the reports by human rights organizations on the serious human rights violations committed in the east of DRC,

 

– having regard to its previous resolutions on DRC, particularly that of 13 December 2012,

 

 

A. deeply concerned about the escalating violence in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo;

 

B. whereas a UN peacekeeper was killed and 10 others were wounded on 28 August during an attack by the M23 rebel group in the Kibati heights in North Kivu as the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) supported the Congolese Armed Forces (FARDC) in protecting civilian-populated areas of Goma;

 

B bis. whereas the negotiations between the rebel groups and the State of the DRC have been interrupted since May 2013 ;

 

B ter. whereas the 7th Summit of the ICGLR started on the 5 September 2013 and urges for a reopening and fast conclusion of the peace negotiations ;

 

C. also concerned at reports of repeated mortar shells and bombs from DRC territory landing in neighboring Rwanda;

 

D. whereas UNSC resolution 2098 (2013) of 28 March 2013 extended until 31 March 2014 the mandate of MONUSCO and created, on an exceptional basis, a specialized “intervention brigade” within the operation’s existing 19,815‑strong force;

 

E. whereas the intervention brigade within MONUSCO is tasked with carrying out targeted offensive operations, with or without the FARDC, against armed groups that threaten peace in eastern DRC, and also with neutralizing armed groups, reducing the threat posed to State authority and civilian security and making space for stabilization activities;

 

F. whereas more than 2.4 million Congolese people living in the areas affected by the fighting have been internally displaced and 420 000 have fled into neighboring countries, and whereas they are living in inhuman conditions;

 

Fbis. whereas recourse to sexual violence and the more widespread use of rape as a war weapon have enormous consequences, such as the physical and psychological destruction of the victims, and must be regarded as war crimes;

 

G. whereas the non-prosecution of those responsible for human rights violations and war crimes promotes the climate of impunity and encourages the perpetration of fresh crimes;

 

H. whereas the European Union is contributing to the restoration of the justice and security (police and army) sectors and seeking to make them function well by means of its financial and technical assistance and by training personnel within the framework of the EUSEC RD and EUPOL RD missions;

 

I. whereas DRC possesses an abundance of natural resources and whereas the persistent illegal exploitation of these resources, particularly in the east of DRC, which moreover are often under the control of armed paramilitary groups, helps to finance and perpetuate the conflict and remains a source of insecurity for the region as a whole;

 

J. whereas rising unemployment, the social crisis, the food crisis, the inadequacy of basic services, the impoverishment of the population and environmental degradation are also partly responsible for the region's instability; whereas these problems require a comprehensive development plan and strategy;

 

K. whereas it is necessary to deal with the consequences of the conflict, particularly by means of demilitarisation, demobilisation and reintegration of ex-combatants, repatriation of refugees, resettlement of people who have been displaced within their own country and the implementation of viable development programmes;

 

 

1. Expresses its strong concern about the recent escalation of violence in the east of DRC, which has serious political, economic, social, humanitarian and security consequences in DRC and throughout the region;

 

2. Condemns in the strongest terms the repeated and targeted attacks by the M23 against civilians and UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the country (MONUSCO), which have killed several people, including a Tanzanian peacekeeper, and injured several others; calls on DRC authorities to swiftly investigate these incidents and bring the perpetrators to justice;

 

3. Calls on the M23 and the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), among other rebel groups, to immediately and permanently disband and lay down their arms and encourages all parties concerned to pursue a comprehensive political process aimed at addressing the root causes of the conflict;

 

4. Calls for a thorough investigation by the Expanded Joint Verification Mechanism (EJVM) into the sources of the mortar shells and bombs from DRC territory landing in neighboring Rwanda; calls on more transparency and regularity on the reports of the EJVM ;

 

5. Calls on all regional actors concerned to exercise utmost restraint and refrain from any acts or statements that could lead to a further deterioration of the situation; calls on neighbouring countries to fully respect and make respect the sovereignty of the Democratic Republic of Congo over its territory;

 

6. Calls on the governments of DRC and neighboring countries to take the necessary measures to arrive at a structural solution and fully respect their commitments, in particular those taken in last February in the framework of the Addis Ababa agreements, which will bring about lasting peace, security, stability, economic development and respect for human rights in the region through cooperation, permanent dialogue, the establishment of confidence and reconciliation;

 

 

7. Praises the active steps taken by the MONUSCO to implement its mandate, in particular the protection of civilians, and encourages the continuation of these efforts; urges in particular the UN Security Council to take all necessary actions in line with Security Council resolution 2098 (2013) to protect civilians in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo;

 

8. Condemns all acts of violence and all human rights violations in the east of DRC and in the Great Lakes region, and expresses its solidarity with the people of DRC afflicted by the war; calls on all the forces participating in the conflicts in the east of DRC to respect human rights and international humanitarian law, to cease all attacks on civilians, particularly on women and children, and to afford humanitarian agencies access and protection which are coming to the assistance of the suffering civilian population;

 

9. Urges that the perpetrators of human rights violations, war crimes, crimes against humanity, sexual violence against women and the conscription of child soldiers be reported, identified, prosecuted and punished in accordance with national and international criminal law; calls on the DRC government, on the States of the region and on European States to cooperate fully with the ICC to put an end to impunity for human rights violations, and calls for the immediate execution of international arrest warrants; demands that all light be shed on the attempt of murder on the Dr. Mugweke and that perpetrators are prosecuted;

 

10. Insists that the government of the DRC completes the security sector reform and calls for efforts to be made at both national and international level to increase the authority of the State and the rule of law in DRC, particularly in the fields of governance and security, including in close cooperation with the European Union military assistance mission (EUSEC) and the Union's police assistance mission (EUPOL), which should be continued in order to consolidate peace and security both in the country and in the Great Lakes region;

 

11. Considers that transparent access to and control over the natural resources of DRC are indispensable for the sustainable development of the country; calls, therefore, on the African Union and the countries of the Great Lakes region to take more measures to combat illicit exploitation of and trading in natural resources, and on the European Union and the whole of the international community to step up cooperation with DRC in this field;

 

12. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, the Commission Vice-President / EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security policy, the African Union, the governments of the countries of the Great Lakes region, the President, Prime Minister and Parliament of the DRC, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the UN Special Representative on Sexual Violence in Conflict, the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council.