P6_TA(2004)0113

Situation in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo

European Parliament resolution on the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

The European Parliament,

- having regard to Rule 115(5) of its Rules of Procedure,

A. having regard to the solemn undertakings given at the UN Conference on the African Great Lakes in Dar es Salaam in the presence of 16 African heads of state,

B. whereas less than a week after the end of the conference, Rwandan troops again entered the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC), for the third time in ten years,

C. whereas as a result of the resumption of hostilities the civilian population of eastern DRC are daily being made victims of war crimes and grave human rights violations, whereas Parliament is shocked by the sexual violence and rape used as weapons of war against Congolese women and whereas most of the victims do not have access to the health care which their condition necessitates,

D. shocked by the news of rapes, paedophile acts and other acts of violence perpetrated by certain members of the military and civilian personnel of the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (MONUC) against the civilian population,

E. whereas the DRC is struggling to recover from a devastating six-year conflict that has caused over 3 million deaths and continues to destabilise central Africa and cause immense suffering to the country's civilian population,

F. whereas the DRC is in an extremely delicate transitional phase, with the difficult task of setting up viable institutions, and stressing that the cooperation of all parties concerned is needed for the success of the transition,

G. whereas for the past 10 years the presence of Rwandan armed forces emanating from the authorities which fell from power in 1994 has served as a pretext for the presence in the DRC of troops of the current Rwandan authorities,

H. whereas the need for action against the Interahamwe and the ex-FAR (Rwandan armed forces) has been underestimated by the international community,

I. whereas the report of the UN Commission of Inquiry of August 2004 stresses the role played by Rwanda in supporting and arming rebel forces fighting the Government of the DRC, particularly those which occupied the town of Bukavu in June 2004, and the storage of arms in Kivu by Rwandan forces,

J. whereas, by August 2003, the United Nations estimated that 3,4 million Congolese had been internally displaced as a result of armed conflict, the majority in eastern DRC,

K. having regard to the African Union's intention of participating more actively in the disarmament of the illegal armed groups, particularly those which are Rwandan, based in the east of the DRC,

L. whereas, according to the report by the United Nations Security Council, illegal arms continue to flood into the DRC from abroad,

M. whereas it is more vital than ever to disarm the armed groups which are within the territory of the DRC, as provided for in the Lusaka Agreement of 1999 and the Pretoria Agreement of 2002,

N. whereas the district of Ituri and the provinces of North and South Kivu are still not at peace and whereas the persistent illegal exploitation of natural resources continues to foment the conflict,

1. Condemns the unilateral military action by Rwanda and calls for the immediate and unconditional withdrawal of its troops from Congolese territory;

2. Considers that this unilateral action may have serious consequences for the peace process and stability in the Great Lakes region; stresses that all commitments must be respected;

3. Calls on the Government of Rwanda to respect the territorial integrity of the DRC, and on all parties to the conflict to respect and comply with the 2003 peace agreements and United Nations Security Council resolutions;

4. Stresses that at the International Peace and Security Conference on the Great Lakes, held on 20 November 2004 in Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, the heads of state committed themselves to ending conflicts in the region;

5. Strongly condemns the numerous instances of sexual violence and rapes committed in the DRC by armed groups and by certain members of the military and civilian personnel of MONUC;

6. Calls on the Government of the DRC to implement an emergency medical programme for victims of sexual violence in the eastern part of the DRC;

7. Calls on the Government of the DRC, in the context of the restoration of the rule of law, to bring to justice all the individuals responsible for acts of violence;

8. Welcomes the decision by the United Nations to carry out an inquiry into the allegations of acts of sexual violence against women and, pending the conclusions of the inquiry, calls for the persons involved to be suspended;

9. Calls on the Council to take all measures to support the African Union which are necessary in order to organise, in liaison with MONUC and under a UN mandate, the disarmament of the illegal armed groups within the territory of the DRC, particularly those emanating from the former Rwandan authorities (the Interahamwe and ex-FAR);

10. Hopes that the armed forces of Member States of the European Union will participate actively in the formation of the peace-keeping forces of the African Union and of the Congolese unified national army;

11. Urges the Council to consider, as a matter of urgency, a new European Union mission to the DRC, along the same lines as the Artemis operation, to increase security in the east of the country, particularly along the border between Rwanda and the DRC;

12. Calls for the arms embargo to be respected and for effective arrangements to be instituted to control international and national arms shipments;

13. Calls on the United Nations Security Council to impose sanctions (travel restrictions, bans on banking services) on persons who are known to have participated in the pillaging of assets and on any person whose actions jeopardise the peace process;

14. Calls for the timetable for the elections to be respected so that the people of the DRC can freely and democratically choose their leaders;

15. Instructs its President to forward this resolution to the Council, the African Union, the Governments of the DRC and Rwanda and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

--------------------------------------------------