IV 
118TH CONGRESS 
2D SESSION 
H. RES. 991 
Condemning all acts of violence, oppression, and abuse against ethnic 
minorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. 
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 
FEBRUARY 1, 2024 
Mr. CARSON (for himself, Mr. SCHIFF, Mr. MCGARVEY, Mr. THANEDAR, and 
Ms. TITUS) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
Committee on Foreign Affairs 
RESOLUTION 
Condemning all acts of violence, oppression, and abuse 
against ethnic minorities in the Democratic Republic of 
the Congo. 
Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo (referred to 
as the ‘‘DRC’’) has been beset for decades by various 
challenges, including natural disasters, political unrest, 
abuses against civilians from many communities, and tar-
geted ethnic-based violence; 
Whereas Rwandophones, notably the Banyamulenge ethnic 
group and other Congolese Tutsi, have been the targets 
of an escalation of hate speech and incitement to violence 
nationwide; 
Whereas the United States, credible human rights organiza-
tions, and civil society have documented and published 
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•HRES 991 IH 
reports and findings that implicate the Armed Forces of 
the Democratic Republic of the Congo (referred to as the 
‘‘FARDC’’) in aiding and collaborating with armed 
groups and militias, including several that are designated 
for United Nations sanctions due to human rights viola-
tions; 
Whereas the return of the March 23 Movement (referred to 
as the ‘‘M23’’) rebel group, who are reportedly backed by 
the Rwandan Government, has exacerbated ethnic ten-
sions within the eastern provinces; 
Whereas reports from the United Nations Group of Experts 
on the Democratic Republic of Congo, including those 
issued on December 16, 2022, and June 13, 2023, have 
consistently found that hate speech specifically targeting 
Rwandophones, who are often portrayed as ‘‘invaders’’, 
has proliferated alongside the crisis brought about by the 
M23 rebels; 
Whereas some Congolese politicians and security force offi-
cials have employed anti-Rwandophone rhetoric; 
Whereas the M23’s presence in eastern DRC further desta-
bilizes the region and is responsible for an array of gross 
violations of human rights and the displacement of thou-
sands of civilians; 
Whereas evidence documenting violence against Rwandophone 
communities may meet 1 or more of the criteria under 
Article II of the United Nations Convention on the Pre-
vention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, to 
which the United States and the DRC are parties; 
Whereas militias engage in illicit mining activities to finance 
and sustain themselves, often exploiting child labor and 
engaging in environmental degradation practices that un-
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•HRES 991 IH 
dermine the DRC’s economic interests and international 
treaty obligations; 
Whereas the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mis-
sion in the Democratic Republic of Congo (referred to as 
‘‘MONUSCO’’) has taken measures to facilitate inter-
communal dialogues between rival ethnic groups to pro-
mote peace and stability; 
Whereas, in April 2019, the United States and the DRC es-
tablished the U.S.-DRC Privileged Partnership for Peace 
and Prosperity, to which the 2 countries added the Pres-
ervation of the Environment in February 2021, which 
aims to advance democracy and promote human rights, 
improve security, and encourage sustainable development 
and United States investment in the DRC, as under-
scored and reinforced by Deputy National Security Advi-
sor Daleep Singh’s visit on January 26, 2022; 
Whereas the strategic partnership between the United States 
and the DRC, as well as the DRC’s role in leading a 
global clean energy revolution, requires cooperative ef-
forts to implement governance reforms, combat corrup-
tion, provide security, and improve environmental and 
labor standards to ensure the health, safety, and pros-
perity of future generations; and 
Whereas the United States Department of State Integrated 
Country Strategy for the DRC states that ‘‘the success 
of the DRC’s democracy hinges on stability in the coun-
try’s eastern provinces’’: Now, therefore, be it 
Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 
(1) condemns all acts of violence perpetrated 
against ethnic minorities by members of the Armed 
Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo and 
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•HRES 991 IH 
armed groups operating throughout the Democratic 
Republic of the Congo; 
(2) further condemns all human rights viola-
tions perpetrated against the civilian population by 
M23, which reportedly include the use of child sol-
diers, killings, sexual violence, and looting; 
(3) calls for increased security for the millions 
of people forcibly displaced in the DRC; 
(4) reaffirms that the United States has held 
and continues to hold the Government of the DRC 
responsible for upholding the rights of all citizens, 
regardless of ethnicity, in accordance with the 
DRC’s international obligations; 
(5) urges social media companies to curb hate 
speech and incitement to violence on their platforms; 
(6) appeals to neighboring countries to uphold 
their commitment to providing safe harbor for refu-
gees from ethnic minority communities until their 
human rights can be guaranteed in the DRC; 
(7) recognizes that the United States has an 
international obligation to uphold its commitments 
to prevent and punish the crime of genocide; 
(8) urges the Government of the Democratic 
Republic of the Congo to— 
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•HRES 991 IH 
(A) hold accountable all state security 
forces that perpetrate atrocities against the ci-
vilian population by conducting transparent in-
vestigations and prosecutions and taking all ad-
ditional necessary measures to prevent further 
atrocities; 
(B) continue progress toward the disar-
mament, demobilization, reintegration, repatri-
ation, and resettlement of armed groups in co-
ordination with the United Nations Organiza-
tion Stabilization Mission in the Democratic 
Republic of Congo, as outlined in United Na-
tions Security Council Resolution 2666 (2022); 
(C) continue coordinating with the East 
African Community Nairobi Process initiative 
to encourage peace talks and disarmament of 
armed groups in eastern DRC, provided that 
the initiative has an overall positive effect on 
the security of the populace and all parties in-
volved in the process ensure that it is trans-
parent and well-managed; 
(D) allow and facilitate, in accordance with 
relevant provisions of international law and con-
sistent with humanitarian principles, the full, 
safe, immediate, and unhindered access to hu-
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•HRES 991 IH 
manitarian personnel, equipment and supplies, 
and the timely delivery of humanitarian assist-
ance to populations in need, in particular to ref-
ugees and internally displaced persons through-
out the territory of the DRC; 
(E) uphold its obligations as a state party 
to the United Nations Convention on the Pre-
vention and Punishment of the Crime of Geno-
cide, the International Convention on the Elimi-
nation of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, 
the International Covenant on Civil and Polit-
ical Rights, the United Nations Convention on 
the Rights of the Child, and the Rome Statute 
of the International Criminal Court; and 
(F) combat all forms of hate speech and 
hold accountable any person or group respon-
sible for ethnically charged rhetoric and incite-
ment to violence; 
(9) urges the Secretary of State, in coordina-
tion with the heads of other relevant Federal depart-
ments and agencies, to— 
(A) work with other Federal departments 
and agencies to thoroughly investigate atrocities 
committed against ethnic minorities in the DRC 
and develop a strategy to address and deter 
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•HRES 991 IH 
such atrocities pursuant to section 3 of the Elie 
Wiesel Genocide and Atrocities Prevention Act 
of 2018 (22 U.S.C. 2656 note); 
(B) engage at the highest level with the 
Government of the DRC to mitigate the hu-
manitarian effects of ethnic-based violence; and 
(C) coordinate with like-minded partners 
and key stakeholders to increase and maintain 
engagement on the issue in multilateral fora, 
including the United Nations Security Council; 
and 
(10) calls on the President of the United States 
to— 
(A) appoint a Special Envoy to the Great 
Lakes region of Africa, which will be vital to 
addressing the enduring regional security crisis 
emanating from eastern DRC; 
(B) use all existing authorities to protect 
ethnic minorities who flee ethnic-based violence 
in the DRC, including the authority to des-
ignate Rwandophones, such as the Congolese 
Tutsi and Banyamulenge, who are nationals of 
the DRC for Priority 2 access to the United 
States Refugee Admissions Program; and 
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•HRES 991 IH 
(C) impose targeted sanctions against 
known human rights abusers in the DRC under 
existing authorities, such as Executive Order 
13413, as amended by Executive Order 13671, 
and Executive Order 13818, to deter further 
gross violations of human rights against ethnic 
minorities in the DRC. 
Æ 
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