III 

113TH CONGRESS 

1ST SESSION S. RES. 144 

Concerning the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

and the need for international efforts supporting long-term peace, stability, and observance of human rights. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

MAY 16, 2013 

Mr. COONS (for himself, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BOOZMAN, Mr. ISAKSON, Mr. 

CARDIN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. LEAHY, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. WHITEHOUSE, Mr. 

WYDEN, Mr. MERKLEY, and Mrs. SHAHEEN) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

JUNE 25, 2013 

Reported by Mr. MENENDEZ, with an amendment 

[Strike all after the resolving clause and insert the part printed in italic] 

JUNE 26, 2013 

Considered, amended, and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Concerning the ongoing conflict in the Democratic Republic 

of the Congo and the need for international efforts supporting long-term peace, stability, and observance of 

human rights. 

Whereas, since the 1990s, an estimated 5,000,000 people 

have died due to repeated cycles of conflict, lack of governance, and atrocities in the Democratic Republic of the 

Congo, particularly those in North and South Kivu provVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:55 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR144.ATS SR144

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SRES 144 ATS 

inces, and, since the beginning of 2012, more than 

2,000,000 people have been displaced; 

Whereas the United Nations and humanitarian groups have 

reported staggering rates of sexual violence indicating 

tens of thousands of cases perpetrated by security forces 

of the Government of the Democratic Republic of the 

Congo and non-state armed groups, which continue to operate with nearly total impunity; 

Whereas human rights defenders in the Democratic Republic 

of the Congo have been subject to intimidation and attack; 

Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s wealth of 

natural resources, including minerals, have been a key 

driver of instability and violence; 

Whereas the deeply flawed November 2011 presidential election in the Democratic Republic of the Congo presented 

significant political, economic, and social challenges, and 

provincial and local elections still have not been conducted despite plans to hold such elections in 2012; 

Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo remains subject to recurring conflict despite one of the world’s longest-running, largest, and most expensive international 

peacekeeping operations and extensive bilateral and multilateral efforts to address longstanding humanitarian crises, forge lasting peace, and pursue security sector reform and accountability; 

Whereas members of civil society and political parties from 

both the majority and the opposition in the Democratic 

Republic of the Congo created the National Preparatory 

Committee (Comite ́ National Pre ́paratoire or CNP) to lay 

the groundwork for convening a national forum and diaVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:55 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00002 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR144.ATS SR144

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SRES 144 ATS 

logue with the goal of putting an end to the multifaceted 

crisis that afflicts the Democratic Republic of the Congo; 

Whereas, on November 15, 2012, the United Nations Group 

of Experts provided compelling evidence that the crisis in 

eastern Congo had been fueled and exacerbated by regional actors, including through provision of significant 

military and logistical assistance and of operational and 

political support to the armed group known as the M23; 

Whereas the United Nations and United States Government 

have imposed sanctions on the M23 and its leaders for 

human rights atrocities including rape, massacres, and 

the recruitment and physical and psychological torture of 

child soldiers; 

Whereas, on March 18, 2013, International Criminal Court 

(ICC) indictee and leader of a faction of the M23 rebel 

group, Bosco Ntaganda, turned himself in to the United 

States Embassy in Kigali, asking to be transferred to the 

ICC in The Hague, where he voluntarily surrendered on 

March 22, 2013; 

Whereas the Lord’s Resistance Army continues to perpetrate 

attacks against civilian populations in affected areas of 

northeastern Congo, creating widespread insecurity and 

displacement; 

Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Rwanda, and 

9 other countries on February 24, 2013, signed the 

Peace, Security and Cooperation Framework that provides for a comprehensive approach to the ongoing conflict; 

Whereas the United Nations Security Council adopted Resolution 2098 on March 28, 2013, extending the mandate 

of the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission 


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SRES 144 ATS 

(MONUSCO) and authorizing the creation of an intervention brigade tasked with neutralizing armed groups; 

and 

Whereas, on March 18, 2013, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon appointed former President of Ireland 

and High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mary Robinson, to serve as Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) commends United Nations Secretary-Gen3 eral Ban Ki-Moon’s commitment and leadership to 

4 resolving the crisis in the Democratic Republic of 

5 the Congo and his appointment of Mary Robinson as 

6 United Nations Special Envoy to the Great Lakes; 

7 (2) supports the commitments agreed to by the 

8 signatories of the Peace, Security and Cooperation 

9 (in this resolution, the ‘‘Framework’’), and encour10 ages them to work closely with the United Nations, 

11 the African Union, the International Conference on 

12 the Great Lakes Region, the Southern African De13 velopment Community, as guarantors of the Frame14 work, and the United Nations Special Envoy, 

15 MONUSCO, and relevant international bodies and 

16 governments to develop, implement, and enforce a 

17 comprehensive peace process for the region; 

18 (3) notes that the adoption of the Framework, 

19 the appointment of Mary Robinson as United NaVerDate Mar 15 2010 02:55 Jun 27, 2013 Jkt 029200 PO 00000 Frm 00004 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6201 E:\BILLS\SR144.ATS SR144

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1 tions Special Envoy to the Great Lakes, and the ex2 panded MONUSCO mandate provide an opportunity 

3 to make meaningful and sustained progress toward 

4 ending the recurrent cycles of violence in the Demo5 cratic Republic of the Congo, especially in eastern 

6 Congo; 

7 (4) urges the signatories of the Framework and 

8 the international community to engage and consult 

9 with representatives of the Government of the 

10 Democratic Republic of the Congo and civil society 

11 representatives engaged in the ongoing effort to con12 vene an inclusive national forum and dialogue; 

13 (5) welcomes the announcement by World Bank 

14 President Jim Yong Kim of $1,000,000,000 in pro15 posed new funding to help the Democratic Republic 

16 of the Congo and other countries in the Great Lakes 

17 region to provide better health and education serv18 ices, generate more cross-border trade, and to fund 

19 hydroelectricity projects in support of the Frame20 work agreement; 

21 (6) welcomes the appointment of Russ Feingold 

22 as the United States Special Envoy for the African 

23 Great Lakes region and the Democratic Republic of 

24 the Congo and urges him to advance United States, 

25 international, and regional efforts to end the conflict 


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1 and secure sustainable peace, stability, and safety 

2 for the people of the Democratic Republic of the 

3 Congo by— 

4 (A) working with United Nations Special 

5 Envoy Mary Robinson and the broader inter6 national community to promote a transparent 

7 and inclusive process to implement the regional 

8 and national commitments under the Frame9 work, including the development of clear bench10 marks for progress and appropriate follow-on 

11 measures; 

12 (B) strengthening international efforts to 

13 mobilize and support justice for victims and ac14 countability for perpetrators of sexual and gen15 der based violence and other human rights 

16 abuses in the Democratic Republic of the 

17 Congo; 

18 (C) expanding efforts to develop conflict19 free and responsible mining and supply chains 

20 for the region’s vast mineral resources, in co21 ordination with other government, private in22 dustry, and international and local organiza23 tions; 

24 (D) coordinating with international and re25 gional partners to expand unhindered access to 


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1 life-saving humanitarian assistance to popu2 lations in need, particularly displaced persons 

3 and conflict-affected communities; 

4 (E) pressing for fulfillment of the commit5 ment of the Government of the Democratic Re6 public of the Congo, as well as other regional 

7 actors, to ending the threat posed by the M23, 

8 the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA), the Demo9 cratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda 

10 (FDLR), and other armed groups in the Great 

11 Lakes region, and to facilitate enhanced coordi12 nation of regional efforts to counter these 

13 groups; and 

14 (F) mobilizing and facilitating United 

15 States and international support for electoral 

16 reforms in the Democratic Republic of the 

17 Congo, with the goal of encouraging free, fair, 

18 and credible provincial and local elections in the 

19 near-term, and presidential elections in 2016; 

20 (7) calls on the President, in close coordination 

21 with international and regional partners, to work 

22 with the Government of the Democratic Republic of 

23 the Congo to develop and implement recommenda24 tions to improve accountability for serious violations 

25 of international humanitarian law and human rights 


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1 abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, in2 cluding by considering imposition of sanctions au3 thorized under section 1284 of the National Defense 

4 Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2013 (Public Law 

5 112–239; 50 U.S.C. 1701 note); 

6 (8) calls on governments of the Great Lakes re7 gion of Africa to immediately halt and prevent any 

8 and all forms of support to non-state armed groups, 

9 including support provided by individuals inde10 pendent of government policy; 

11 (9) calls on all relevant nations, including des12 tination and transit countries, to increase coopera13 tion on ending the illicit trade in conflict minerals, 

14 wildlife, and wildlife parts, which continues to fuel 

15 and fund violence and to deprive citizens of economic 

16 opportunity in the Democratic Republic of the 

17 Congo and the broader region; 

18 (10) calls on the signatories of the Framework 

19 to cooperate in the arrest and prosecution of those 

20 responsible for violating international humanitarian 

21 law and for serious human rights violations, includ22 ing gender-based violence; 

23 (11) calls on the Government of the Democratic 

24 Republic of the Congo to engage in meaningful and 

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1 tially administered local and provincial elections as 

2 soon as technically possible, continue to participate 

3 in ongoing efforts to provide a platform for inclusive 

4 dialogue within the Democratic Republic of the 

5 Congo to address critical internal political issues at 

6 the local and national levels, and strengthen proc7 esses of state institution building; 

8 (12) calls on the Government of the Democratic 

9 Republic of the Congo, in coordination with the 

10 international community, to undertake significant 

11 security sector reform, which is a necessary compo12 nent for lasting stability, and renewed disarmament, 

13 demobilization, and reintegration (DDR) efforts that 

14 ensure that any rebel troops, especially commanders, 

15 responsible for human rights violations are held ac16 countable and not reintegrated into the Armed 

17 Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo 

18 (FARDC); and 

19 (13) urges the Government of the Democratic 

20 Republic of the Congo to improve efforts to protect 

21 civilians from armed groups, in cooperation with 

22 MONUSCO and the African Union’s Regional Co23 operation Initiative on the LRA. 

Æ 


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