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Motion for a resolution - B9-0199/2021Motion for a resolution
B9-0199/2021

MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the assassination of the Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio and his entourage

9.3.2021 - (2021/2577(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 144 of the Rules of Procedure

Michael Gahler, Antonio Tajani, David McAllister, Sandra Kalniete, Isabel Wiseler‑Lima, Miriam Lexmann, Paulo Rangel, Vladimír Bilčík, Michaela Šojdrová, Loránt Vincze, Ivan Štefanec, Eva Maydell, Jiří Pospíšil, Stanislav Polčák, Benoît Lutgen, Maria Walsh, Tom Vandenkendelaere, Adam Jarubas, Krzysztof Hetman, Elżbieta Katarzyna Łukacijewska, David Lega, Lefteris Christoforou, Romana Tomc, Janina Ochojska, Tomas Tobé, Christian Sagartz, Vangelis Meimarakis, Tomáš Zdechovský, Željana Zovko, Luděk Niedermayer, Inese Vaidere, Antonio López‑Istúriz White, Ioan‑Rareş Bogdan, Stelios Kympouropoulos, Seán Kelly, Peter Pollák
on behalf of the PPE Group

See also joint motion for a resolution RC-B9-0173/2021

Procedure : 2021/2577(RSP)
Document stages in plenary
Document selected :  
B9-0199/2021
Texts tabled :
B9-0199/2021
Votes :
Texts adopted :

B9‑0199/2021

European Parliament resolution on situation in Eastern Democratic Republic of Congo and the assassination of the Italian Ambassador Luca Attanassio and his entourage

(2021/2577(RSP))

The European Parliament,

 having regard to its previous resolutions on the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), notably that of 18 January 2018 and 17 September 2020,

 having regard to the declaration of 20 May 2020 by the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative (VP/HR) on behalf of the EU on the security situation in Ituri,

 having regard to the Council conclusions of 9 December 2019 on the Democratic Republic of the Congo,

 having regard to UN Security Council resolutions, notably Resolution 2528 of 25 June 2020 on the situation concerning the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Resolution 2463 of 29 March 2019 on the extension of the of the mandate of the UN Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO),

 having regard to the measures laid down in UN Security Council Resolution 2528, which renewed until July 2021 a series of sanctions such as an arms embargo on armed groups in the DRC, a travel ban on individuals and an asset freeze on individuals and entities designated by the Sanctions Committee,

 having regard to the UN Report of August 2010 of the Mapping Exercise documenting the most serious violations of human rights and international humanitarian law committed within the territory of the DRC between March 1993 and June 2003,

 having regard to the statement made by the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, of 28 August 2020,

 having regard to the joint statement of VP/HR Josep Borrell and UN Special Representative for Sexual Violence in Conflict Pramila Patten of 18 June 2020 on the International Day for the Elimination of Sexual Violence in Conflicts,

 having regard Statement by High Representative/Vice-President Josep Borrell on the security situation in Ituri” of May 2020,

 having regard to the EU Guidelines on Human Rights Defenders,

 having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/821 of the European Parliament and of the Council of 17 May 2017 laying down supply chain due diligence obligations for Union importers of tin, tantalum and tungsten, their ores, and gold originating from conflict-affected and high-risk areas,

 having regard to the Partnership Agreement between the Members of the African, Caribbean and Pacific Group of States of the one part, and the European Community and its Member States, of the other part (the Cotonou Agreement),

 having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights, which was adopted on 27 June 1981 and entered into force on 21 October 1986,

 having regard to UN Security Council Resolution 1325 on Women, Peace and Security, which was adopted unanimously on 31 October 2000,

 having regard to the Constitution of the Democratic Republic of Congo, adopted on 18 February 2006,

 having regard to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,

 having regard to the Charter of the United Nations,

 having regard to Rule 144(5) and 132(4) of its Rules of Procedure,

 having regard to the report of 11 November 2019 of the office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights in DRC,

A. Whereas the situation in eastern DRC, particularly in the provinces of North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, is highly volatile, with clashes between armed groups over control of territory and natural resources: whereas civilians have borne the brunt of the conflict, with thousands losing their lives in the last few years;

B. Whereas the Italian ambassador to the Democratic Republic of the Congo Luca Attanasio, an Italian carabineri police officer Vittorio Iacovacci, and their Congolese driver Mustapha Milambo were killed in a shooting while travelling in a UN convoy on 22 February 2021;

C. Whereas the ambush occurred as the convoy was travelling from Goma, Congo's eastern regional capital, to visit a World Food Program (WFP) school project in Rutshuru; whereas the route was on a road previously designated safe for travel without a security team;

D. Whereas Ambassador Attanasio had been Italy’s head of mission in Kinshasa since 2017 and was made ambassador in 2019;

E. Whereas EU will continue to support the Congolese Government and people in their efforts to bring about peace and stability in the east of the country;

F. whereas the United Nations expressed its commitment to continue training DRC counterparts in order to enable a stable and long-term security solution;

G. whereas abductions and attacks on aid workers and peacekeeping forces are increasing, thus forcing humanitarian organisations to delay the delivery of aid and suspend their activities;

1. Stressing the primary responsibility of the Government of the DRC for ensuring security in its territory and protecting its populations with respect for the rule of law, human rights and international humanitarian law, including protection from crimes against humanity and war crimes;

2. Condemning in the strongest terms the killing of Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio and his entourage, expressing its deepest sympathy to the families of the victims, the Governments of Italy as well as to the WFP national staff;

3. Calls the Government of the DRC to swiftly and fully investigate the killing of the Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio and his entourage, and bring the perpetrators to justice; calling upon the Government of the DRC to cooperate with law enforcement investigations that should be conducted in close cooperation Italy, in accordance with DRC national legislation, and in this context;

4. Condemning the killing of Rutshuru Attorney William Hassani who was returning from a security summit in Goma and investigating into the assassination of Italian Ambassador Luca Attanasio and his entourage; calling upon the Government of the DRC to fully investigating the killing of Rutshuru Attorney William Hassani to address armed group’s clear purpose to undermine State authority;

5. Strongly condemned the violence against the civilian population and calls for the perpetrators of these atrocities to be swiftly brought to justice;

6. Stresses the determination of the UN peacekeeping mission in the country MONUSCO to continue to do its utmost to ensure the protection of civilians in accordance with its mandate and to support national efforts to consolidate peace and stability in the country;

7. Calls the DRC authorities to keep progressing on number of challenges in area of governance, particularly the persistence of corruption, money laundering, infringements of property rights and misappropriation of public funds, and their impact on the mobilisation of the resources, which are needed to achieve the country’s development goals. Progress in these areas would help to alleviate social, economic and political tensions. In this regard, the EU stands ready to support the Congolese authorities and encourages them to involve all relevant stakeholders – including political parties and representatives of civil society, women and young people, religious organisations and the private sector – in the development and implementation of all necessary reforms;

8. Urges the DRC authorities to take concrete steps to address the drivers of conflict in the east of the country, particularly in North Kivu, South Kivu and Ituri, the level of insecurity and instability, the absence of State authority in certain territories and the high number of human rights violations committed by armed groups, but also by agents of the State; urges for further efforts by the authorities for need, particularly to combat armed groups;

9.  Encourages the Congolese authorities to continue the ‘disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration’ process in an inclusive and transparent manner, adapting it to the needs and context, going beyond purely military solutions, placing a strong emphasis on civil society, women and the socio-economic integration of the populace, and cooperating with the UN Stabilisation Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and countries in the region;

10. Supports the work of the Congolese authorities to promote peace, security, the rule of law and the return of the State throughout the country, stressing the need for real ownership of the reforms;

11. Expresses deep concerns on the security and humanitarian situation, especially the recent surge in the number of internally displaced persons in the DRC, which continues to severely affect the civilian population; calls its deep concern regarding the ongoing military activities of foreign and domestic armed groups and the smuggling of Congolese natural resources, in particular gold and ivory, stressing the importance of neutralizing all armed groups; stresses that the instability of the Country it is also caused by the Chinese presence in order to exploit the cobalt and coltan deposits in RDC;

12. Call on the EU and Member States to ensure an effective implementation of the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation along the global supply chains in close cooperation with with regional and international partners;

13. Concerns the persistence of serious human rights abuses and international humanitarian law violations against civilians in the eastern part of the DRC, including summary executions, sexual and gender- based violence and large scale recruitment and use of children committed by armed groups;

14. Encourages the continuation of efforts by the Government of the DRC to address issues of illegal exploitation and smuggling of natural resources, including holding accountable those elements of the FARDC which participate in the illicit trade of natural resources, particularly gold and wildlife products;

15. Stresses the need to undertake further efforts to cut off financing for armed groups involved in destabilizing activities through the illicit trade of natural resources, including gold or wildlife products;

16. Calls on the AU and the EU to ensure a permanent political dialogue between countries of the Great Lakes region to prevent any further destabilisation;

17. Strongly urges cross-border cooperation as regards transnational illegal activities and call on the AU and the EU to ensure that neighbouring countries resume reporting illegal trade flux whose volume highly increased in the last months despite mobility restrictions;

18. Calls on the VP/HR, the EU delegation to and EU missions in the DRC to increase their visible support to human rights defenders at risk in the DRC, using all available tools (i.e. political, diplomatic and financial) as a protective measure to provide recognition to their human rights work and acknowledge their important role as human rights defenders in fighting for stability and peace in the region;

19. Calls on the EU to maintain sanctions against perpetrators of violence and human rights abuses in the DRC and calls for the extension of these sanctions to the perpetrators cited in the UN report of the mapping exercise;

20. Strongly urges cross-border cooperation in the African Great Lakes region and the establishment of a regional strategy by neighbouring countries to address the violence and human rights abuses in the DRC;

21. Calls for CSDP Mission in the African Great Lakes region to contributing to the stabilisation of the security conditions and the improvement of the humanitarian situation;

22. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the Commission, and the Vice-President of the Commission / High Representative of the Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, the EU Special Representative for Human Rights, the ACP-EU Council of Ministers and Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the President, Prime Minister and Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the African Union and its institutions.

Last updated: 10 March 2021
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