MOTION FOR A RESOLUTION on the 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

Raffaele Fitto, Ryszard Antoni Legutko, Carlo Fidanza, Nicola Procaccini, Sergio Berlato, Pietro Fiocchi, Raffaele Stancanelli, Vincenzo Sofo, Anna Fotyga, Karol Karski, Ryszard Czarnecki, Witold Jan Waszczykowski, Elżbieta Kruk, Jadwiga Wiśniewska, Assita Kanko, Veronika Vrecionová, Angel Dzhambazki, Adam Bielan, Bogdan Rzońca, Eugen Jurzyca, Elżbieta Rafalska, Joanna Kopcińska, Alexandr Vondra, Valdemar Tomaševski, Emmanouil Fragkos
on behalf of the ECR Group

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

B9‑0201/2021

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

(2021/2577(RSP))

The European Parliament,

– having regard to its previous resolutions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) ,

– having regard to Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/2033 of 10 December 2020 amending Decision 2010/788/CFSP concerning restrictive measures against the Democratic Republic of Congo,

– having regard to the 2020 Final report of the UN Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo,

– having regard to the UNHCR 2020 report on the human rights situation and the activities of the UN Joint Human Rights Office in the DRC (UNJHRO),

– having regard to the 2020 report by the UNJHRO on violations of human rights and international humanitarian law by the Allied Democratic Forces armed group and by members of the defence and security forces in Beni territory, North Kivu province, and Irumu and Mambasa territories, Ituri province,

– having regard to the statement of HR/VP Borrell on the security situation in Ituri of 20 May 2020,

– having regard to Regulation (EU) 2017/821 of the European Parliament and 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 UN mapping report on mass killings, rapes and displacement in the DRC,

– having regard to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,

– having regard to the Cotonou Agreement,

– having regard to Rule 144 of its Rules of Procedure,

A. whereas Italian ambassador Luca Attanasio, his security escort Vittorio Iacovacci and their driver and WFP staff member Mustapha Milambo  were killed on 22 February 2021, when a World Food Programme (WFP) delegation traveling on a field visit to a school feeding programme in Rutshuru was attacked by armed gunmen;

B. whereas there was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack, but the DRC government blames the Rwandan Hutu rebel group FDLR (Forces démocratiques de libération du Rwanda) for it;

C. whereas Italy asked both the UN and the WFP to open an investigation into the security arrangements for this WFP delegation and whereas the UN Department of Safety and Security will be leading a detailed review into the incident;

D. whereas military prosecutor Mwilanya Asani William who was investigating the assassination of the ambassador and his entourage was killed on 2 March 2021 in an ambush in Rutshuru;

E. whereas the DRC is still recovering from decades of multiple and protracted conflicts and there can be no development and sustainable growth without a more peaceful environment; whereas dozens of Congolese and foreign armed groups remain active in the country’s troubled East; whereas some armed groups have connections in neighbouring Uganda, Rwanda and Burundi, meaning that the DRC remains vulnerable to proxy conflicts playing out in its territory;

F. whereas according to the UNJHRO report in 2020 at least 849 civilians were killed in the Irumu and Mambassa territory in the Ituri province as well as in Beni territory in the North Kivu province in attacks attributable to the most active and violent rebel group Allied Democratic Forces (ADF) with links to the jihadist network, and 62 civilians were injured and four women were sexually abused by ADF members; whereas the second half of 2020 was characterised by a number of reprisal attacks by the ADF against the civilian population in territories previously controlled by them, which led to massive displacement in the region; whereas there was also an increase in the number of civilians abducted to perform forced labour; whereas ADF violence is hampering the already strained efforts to fight the Ebola epidemic in the area;

G. whereas the UNJHRO report also documents human rights violations and violations of international humanitarian law committed by security and defence forces in the context of their operations against ADF combatants; whereas in 2020 47 civilians were killed, 27 women and 22 children were sexually abused, and 126 were arbitrarily arrested at the hands of security forces;

H. whereas violence has continued into the beginning of this year; whereas on 13 January 2021, in Walese Vonkutu, Irumu territory, a group of unknown men attacked the Twa community and killed at least 14 people, including two pregnant women; whereas this assault followed another attack in Walese Vonkutu a month earlier, where 10 people were killed and 30 others were kidnapped;

I. whereas the violence takes place in a context of impunity, where few human rights abuses and violations of international humanitarian law are duly investigated and prosecuted; whereas, given the widespread and systematic nature of the attacks directed against the civilian population, the UNJHRO states that some of the documented human rights abuses may amount to crimes against humanity;

J. whereas in eastern Congo, one of the most notorious and vicious practices by the armed groups is the use of rape and sexual violence against women as a tool to destroy communities; whereas rape traumatizes girls and women, humiliates their husbands, breaks up families, and makes women fearful of working in the fields and taking goods to sell at market, thereby reducing family incomes;

K. whereas one of the main drivers of violence and the predatory nature of armed groups in the DRC is the vast mineral resources in the eastern region of North and South Kivu as well as illicit border trade; whereas the EU Conflict Minerals Regulation came into force on 1 January 2021;

L. whereas the Council has decided on 11 December 2020 to maintain individual restrictive measures against several personalities of the DRC until 12 December 2021, on the basis of an evaluation of the situation in the DRC;

1. Expresses its condolences to the relatives of ambassador Luca Attanasio, carabiniere Vittorio Iacovacci and driver Mustapha Milambo;

2. Calls on the Congolese authorities to conduct a prompt investigation into the assassination of the Italian ambassador and his entourage and to fully and constructively co-operate with the Italian and UN investigations;

3. Asks the Congolese authorities to clarify as soon as possible whether the killing of prosecutor Mwilanya Asani William is linked to the investigation into the criminal operation of 22 February 2021;

4. Strongly and unequivocally condemns all forms of terrorism and calls for a stronger engagment and coordination of counterterrorist actions, including on international fora,  such as Interpol CT trainings and within the Task Force on Money Laundering in Central Africa (Groupe d’Action contre le blanchiment d’Argent en Afrique Centrale (GABAC)); in this regard calls for a better protection of convoys of international humanitarian aid organizations

5. Urges the DRC and the other countries of the Great Lakes Region and the EU and its partners like the AU and the UN to step up efforts to end the insecurity in the region; urges all armed groups in the DRC to lay down their weapons and the EU to offer the DRC financial and technical support for disarmament, demobilisation and reintegration of these armed groups;

6. Encourages the Congolese authorities to implement the recommendations included in the Mapping Report with the objective to fight against impunity for past serious crimes in the DRC, to facilitate access to justice for victims and humanitarian aid for survivors, including those who are displaced by the violence, and to engage through the judicial cooperation framework to curb cross-border crimes and to ensure that armed groups who seek refuge in countries of the region are tracked and brought to justice;

7. Urges the Congolese authorities to ensure that security forces act in a manner consistent with norms and standards of international human rights law and international humanitarian law and to enhance protection mechanisms for the civilian population, especially during military operations; urges the EU to support serious security sector reform;

8. Stresses the important security role played by military and police forces from Member States on mission in unstable and insecure contexts; encourages. also within the CSDP, to coordinate and co-operate more between the EU and the Member States to assure the protection and safety of civilian and military staff working outside the EU;

9. Urges the EU and its partners to contribute to the fight against conflict-related sexual violence and to the assistance of survivors of such violence;

10. Urges the DRC to take measures to combat conflict minerals and the EU to promote in international fora the international guidelines on conflict minerals;

11. 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 ACPEU Council of Ministers and Joint Parliamentary Assembly, the President, Prime Minister and Parliament of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and the African Union.