H. Res. 780 

In the House of Representatives, U. S., 

November 15, 2016. 

Whereas given its size, location, and diverse economy, the 

United States has deep interests in the democratic stability of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC); 

Whereas from 1996 to 2006, more than 3,000,000 people 

died in the DRC as a result of internal and regional 

wars, and significant violence persists in the Eastern 

Congo; 

Whereas a root cause of these conflicts was the decay of the 

undemocratic and corrupt regime of President Mobutu 

Sese Seko; 

Whereas in 2002 the United States, working with African 

and European partners, helped facilitate a Congo peace 

accord that included a democratic transition and free 

elections under a new constitution limiting the President 

to two terms by an unamendable provision and providing 

for the President of the Senate to assume power temporarily until elections can be held once a Presidential vacancy is declared; 

Whereas in 2006 Joseph Kabila was elected President in 

what was widely viewed as a free and fair election, but 

many respected international observers concluded that his 

2011 election ‘‘victory’’ was ‘‘not credible’’; 
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Whereas President Kabila’s second term will end on December 19, 2016, after which his government can no longer 

be considered the constitutionally legitimate representative of the Congolese people; 

Whereas President Kabila has yet to declare unequivocally 

and publicly that he will step down at the end of his 

term, as required by the constitution, causing growing 

political tension, unrest, and violence across the country; 

Whereas during the summer of 2014, President Kabila tried 

unsuccessfully to persuade parliament to change the constitution to open the way for his continuation in power 

after his term expires on December 19, 2016, and subsequently attempted to pass a law requiring a multiyear 

census in advance of the Presidential election—an effort 

that was dropped in January 2015 after mass demonstrations in which Kabila’s security forces killed at 

least 42 people and arbitrarily jailed hundreds; 

Whereas since January 2015, in further steps to undermine 

democratic processes and institutions, Congolese security 

and intelligence officials have clamped down on peaceful 

activists, political leaders, and others who oppose President Kabila’s effort to stay in power past his constitutionally mandated two-term limit; 

Whereas since January 2015 President Kabila has continually used administrative and technical means to try to 

delay the Presidential election (including an overloaded, 

unfeasible multielection calendar, failure to pass timely 

election laws and release authorized election budgets, 

abruptly implementing the division of the country’s provinces, and having his ‘‘Independent National Election 

Commission’’ recently declare that it will take 16 months 

to update the voter roll); 
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Whereas the broad national dialogue convened by President 

Kabila served as another means of justifying a delay of 

the scheduled November 2016 elections despite the widespread withdrawal of participation by opposition parties 

and church leaders; 

Whereas President Obama spoke with President Kabila on 

March 15, 2015, and ‘‘emphasized the importance of 

timely, credible, and peaceful elections that respect the 

DRC’s constitution and protect the rights of all DRC 

citizens’’; 

Whereas President Kabila is calling for a broad national dialogue that could be used to confuse the election issue and 

serve as yet another means of delaying the scheduled November 2016 elections; 

Whereas international and domestic human rights groups 

continually report on the worsening of the situation with 

regard to human rights in the DRC, including the use of 

excessive force against peaceful demonstrators and an increase in politically motivated trials and the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUSCO) has registered 

more than 260 human rights violations, mainly against 

political opponents, civil society, and journalists during 

the past year; 

Whereas the DRC retains a relatively vibrant civil society 

that is exerting pressure on the government, and is at 

risk of being stamped out due to government repression 

consistent with President Kabila’s attempt to remain in 

power; 

Whereas leaders of Congo’s main opposition parties, nongovernmental organizations, and prodemocracy youth 
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movements called on Congolese citizens to stay home 

from work and school on February 16, 2016, for ‘‘Ville 

Morte (Dead City Day)’’ largely to protest against delays 

in organizing Presidential elections; 

Whereas the strike was largely successful in major Congolese 

cities despite government detentions and threats; 

Whereas, on March 10, 2016, the European Union Parliament adopted a resolution that urged the European 

Union to ‘‘use all its diplomatic and economic tools’’ in 

favor of ‘‘compliance with the constitution of the DRC’’ 

and invited African Union member states to also become 

engaged in the effort to advance this goal; 

Whereas the European Union Parliament resolution also 

called upon the European Union ‘‘to consider imposing 

targeted sanctions, including travel bans and asset 

freezes, so as to help prevent further violence’’; 

Whereas, on March 30, 2016, the United Nations Security 

Council unanimously adopted Resolution 2277, expressing ‘‘deep concern’’ about ‘‘delays in the Presidential 

election’’ and ‘‘increased restriction of the political space 

in the DRC’’ and calling for ‘‘ensuring the successful and 

timely holding’’ of Presidential and legislative elections 

‘‘in accordance with the Constitution’’; 

Whereas, on June 23, 2016, the U.S. Department of the 

Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned 

General Celestin Kanyama of the Congolese National Police for his role in targeting of civilian protestors; 

Whereas, on September 28, 2016, the U.S. Department of 

the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control sanctioned Major General Gabriel Amisi Kumba and General 

John Numbi for leading an armed group that has threat-
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ened the stability of the DRC and violently suppressing 

political opposition, respectively; 

Whereas the DRC’s Independent National Electoral Commission and the Constitutional Court have validated the indefinite postponement of the scheduled November 2016 

elections; and 

Whereas the Kabila government has stated that the elections 

may now take place as late as 2018, potentially extending 

his mandate by as much as two years: Now, therefore, be 

it 

Resolved, That— 

(1) under Executive Order No. 13413, as amended 

by Executive Order No. 13671, in coordination to the 

maximum extent possible with its African and European 

partners, the United States should impose sanctions on 

government officials of the Democratic Republic of the 

Congo (DRC) who impede progress toward a peaceful 

democratic transition through credible elections that respect the will of the people of the DRC; 

(2) sanctions should target core figures in the government of President Kabila for visa denials and for 

asset freezes because of actions that ‘‘undermine democratic processes or institutions’’; 

(3) economic and security assistance provided to the 

DRC government should be reviewed for possible termination, while preserving other, particularly humanitarian, assistance through nongovernmental and inter-
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national organizations, and review future international 

financial institution assistance to the DRC until the election crisis is resolved; 

(4) the President should lift sanctions only when 

the President determines that— 

(A) President Kabila has unequivocally and 

publicly declared that, in accordance with the constitution, he will not remain in power once his term 

ends on December 19, 2016, has made verifiable 

progress on the ground towards holding timely free 

and fair national elections in accordance with the 

constitution, and has demonstrably opened the necessary political space for the opposition and civil society; or 

(B) the DRC has held a free and fair Presidential election as provided by the constitution and 

a new President has been sworn in; 

(5) if President Kabila’s government meets the condition specified in paragraph (4)(A), the United States 

should join other donors in helping to support election 

preparedness, including voter registration and supporting a level playing field for campaign activities by diverse political parties; 

(6) the United States Government should support 

independent DRC civil society organizations and media 
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to more effectively monitor efforts to undermine democracy and governance; 

(7) the United States Government should use authorities under subchapter II of chapter 53 of title 31, 

United States Code, chapter X of title 31, Code of Federal Regulations, and the section 1956 of title 18, 

United States Code, to investigate and target money 

laundering activities, specifically related to the diversion 

of proceeds of corruption, by key figures close to President Kabila; 

(8) these authorities should be employed to target 

the financial institutions facilitating money laundering 

by these figures as well as to pressure the jurisdictions 

in which they are located to monitor this activity and 

take enforcement action as appropriate; and 

(9) the United States should coordinate these efforts with key Western and African partners, including 

through other financial intelligence units. 

Attest: 

Clerk.