Resolution on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the East of the country, and its impact on the region
Date: 2007-11-22
Institutions: ACP–EU Joint Assembly
Subjects: Democratic Republic of the Congo, common foreign and security policy, democracy, establishment of peace, political violence, public safety, war

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26. Notes that the use of renewables, such as solar, wind and biomass energy, would make ACP countries
less dependent on oil, calls on the EU and its Member States to transfer the appropriate technology
and provide adequate funding, and urges the European Commission to review the criteria to include
in determining eligibility for access to the
pro-environment, vulnerability and insularity criteria,
resources of the Energy and Water Facilities under the 10th EDF;

27. Calls on ACP and EU countries to fix a specific target for the use of renewable energy, and considers
that renewable energy should be put at the heart of ACP-EU development cooperation programmes
under the Cotonou Agreement;

28.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commis-
sion, the African Union and the Secretary-General of the United Nations.

RESOLUTION (1)

on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, particularly in the East of the country, and
its impact on the region

The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly,

— meeting in Kigali (Rwanda) from 19 to 22 November 2007,

— having regard to Article 17(2) of its Rules of Procedure,

— having regard to its previous resolutions on the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and the Great

Lakes region,

— having regard to the resolutions of the United Nations (UN) Security Council on the situation in Demo-

cratic Republic of Congo and the monthly reports of the UN Secretary-General on this matter,

— having regard to the resolution of the European Parliament of 15 December 2004, on the situation in

the eastern DRC (2),

— having regard to the Pact for Security, Stability and Development in the Great Lakes region that was
signed in Nairobi (Kenya) on 16 December 2006 by the Heads of State and Government of the coun-
tries of the Great Lakes region,

— having regard to the International Convention on the Rights of the Child of 20 November 1989,

which prohibits the involvement of children in armed conflicts,

— having regard to the report of the mission of the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on the obser-
vation of the presidential and legislative elections held in the DRC on 30 July and 29 October 2006
respectively,

— having regard to the joint action of the Council concerning the mission of the European Union (EU) to

provide advice and assistance in the framework of the reform of the security sector in the DRC,

— having regard to the Kimberley process, which aims, ultimately, to put an end to the circulation of
blood diamonds and to improve governance in those countries rich in natural resources through the
verification and complete publication of all payments made by the companies and the revenue derived
by the governments from oil, gas, and mining products,

(1) Adopted by the ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly on 22 November 2007 in Kigali (Rwanda).
(2) OJ C 226E, 15.9.2005, p. 359.

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A. whereas the many years of armed conflict have resulted directly and indirectly in 4 million direct and
indirect victims and caused the displacement of at least 1,5 million people, most of them women and
children, as well as the destruction of the socioeconomic infrastructures of the DRC,

B.

C.

recalling, with concern, that, since the end of 2006, approximately 300 000 persons living in the
province of North Kivu have been forced to flee their homes due to warfare involving the regular
armed forces of the DRC and the rebel troops of ousted general Laurent Nkunda, and other armed
groups bringing the total number of displaced persons up to 800 000 people,

tremendously worried by the increasing violence, the widespread human rights violations, rapes and
other forms of sexual violence perpetrated against women from the eastern provinces of North Kivu
and South Kivu,

D.

deeply concerned by the persistence and increasing recruitment of child soldiers in the east of the DRC
by armed militias,

E.

F.

concerned by the near-permanent situation of insecurity in the east of the DRC, which makes it impos-
sible for humanitarian organisations to distribute foodstuffs and basic necessities such as medicines, to
the civilian population,

foreign armed groups,

considering the presence of
including the ex-Rwandan Armed Forces
(ex-FAR)/Interahamwe (Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR)), which continue to
commit, with impunity, atrocities such as murder, rape, torture and raids, thereby forcing civilians to
become displaced to the east of the DRC and in the neighbouring countries, which constitutes a threat
to the security, stability and development of the country,

G. whereas the persistence of armed conflicts and renegade armed groups in the Great Lakes region
constitutes a serious threat to peace, stability, democracy and the development of that region; whereas
it compromises cooperation between the states of the region and cancels out the efforts of the interna-
tional community to bring about the emergence of vibrant and prosperous democratic states in that
region and the improvement of the living conditions of their respective populations,

H. whereas it is imperative, consequently, to take all the necessary measures to put an end to the conflicts,
dismantle the armed groups and forestall any future conflict so as to consolidate peace and democracy,
promote the stability and development in the region for the wellbeing of all the peoples of the Great
Lakes region, and to enable the legitimate institutions of the DRC to devote their energies to rebuilding
their country, which has been destroyed by recurring wars,

I.

J.

K.

L.

whereas peace and security, both in the DRC and in the Great Lakes region, can only be achieved by
putting an end to the threat created by foreign and national armed groups in the DRC and their poli-
tical organisations, as well as by the complete disarming of all paramilitary groups marauding in that
region,

whereas the International Criminal Court (ICC) has been investigating the crimes that may have been
committed in the DRC since 2004,

having regard to the commitments made in Kigali on 28 August 2007 by the parties at the ‘Tripartite
Plus’ summit, namely the army chiefs of the DRC, Rwanda, Uganda and Burundi, and those made on
16 September 2007 by the foreign affairs ministers of those countries, with the aim of seeking peace
by neutralising the rebel armed forces located in the respective territories; having regard to the Joint
Declaration of the foreign affairs ministers of the DRC and Rwanda issued at the end of the meeting in
Kinshasa on 3 and 4 September 2007,

whereas the Joint Communiqué of the Government of the DRC and the Government of the Republic
of Rwanda on a common approach to end the threat posed to peace and stability in both countries
and the Great Lakes region, signed on 9 November 2007 by the foreign affairs ministers of the
two countries under the facilitation of the UN and in the presence of representatives of the United
States of America and the EU, outlines new prospects for peace and cooperation among the states in
the region,

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M. whereas the President of the DRC, Joseph Kabila, and his Ugandan counterpart, Yoweri Museveni, met
in Tanzania in September 2007 to set up, with the support of the UN, a joint military force to dislodge
the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) rebels causing instability in the region and also to embark on joint
oil exploration exercises,

N. whereas the DRC possesses an abundance of natural mineral wealth and forestry resources, among
others, which must be carefully and efficiently managed to ensure that country's economic and social
development,

O.

having regard to the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative (EITI), to which the DRC is party,

P.

having regard to the decision of the Government of the DRC to review the mining and forestry
contracts signed during the period of war and the transition phase,

Q. whereas the new constitution adopted on 18 December 2005 by the Congolese people offers the solid

base necessary to build a state founded on the rule of law and a truly democratic society,

R. whereas the multiparty presidential and legislative elections held in the DRC on 30 July and 29 October
2006 respectively have given the population renewed hope for an era of peace, stability and prosperity
after many years of dictatorship and war; whereas municipal elections are currently being organised,

S.

whereas all Congolese citizens have the right to equal protection by the government entities, particu-
larly as regards security, and the safety of their persons and property,

T. whereas the Congolese Parliament has recently passed the law on the status of the political opposition
in the DRC so as to strengthen democracy and the role of the political opposition in governing the
country,

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

Calls on all the forces participating in conflicts in the east of the DRC to respect human rights and
international humanitarian law, to cease all attacks on civilians and to allow humanitarian agencies to
come to the assistance of the civilian population;

Urges that the perpetrators of human rights violations, war crimes, crimes against humanity, sexual
violence against women and the recruitment of child soldiers be reported, identified, prosecuted and
punished in accordance with national and international criminal law;

Calls on the Government of the DRC and the United Nations Mission in the Democratic Republic of
Congo (MONUC) to guarantee an appropriate level of security for the members of humanitarian orga-
nisations;

Calls on the governments of the EU and ACP countries, the Council of the EU, the European Commis-
sion, the UN and the African Union (AU) to do everything possible to provide efficient and adequate
aid to the population in the east of the DRC and to contribute to address a humanitarian disaster;

Expresses grave concern regarding the situation and the number of internally displaced persons and
refugees who are still in the neighbouring countries, and calls on the DRC authorities and the host
countries to do everything in their power to facilitate the safe return of the Congolese refugees, particu-
larly by cooperating fully with partners such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN
High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR);

Calls on the European Commission and the Council to prepare, with the cooperation of non-govern-
mental organisations (NGOs) and the Government of the DRC, a humanitarian programme for the
DRC with the aim of providing increased and improved medical assistance to the Congolese people;

Calls on the European Commission to provide support, including financial aid, to the organisation of a
peace conference in Kivu, so as to enable the population to participate in the search for lasting solu-
tions;

Takes due note of the mutual commitments by Burundi, the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, and in particu-
lar the Joint Communiqué signed by the governments of Rwanda and the DRC in Nairobi on
9 November 2007, with a view to finding a concerted and lasting solution to the security problems in
the region, and commends the parties for their efforts;

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9.

Urges all the parties to strictly honour the commitments made, and calls on the UN, the EU, the AU,
the partners of the states concerned, as well as the Friends of the Great Lakes, to strongly and actively
support the efforts to implement these commitments and the Pact on Security, Stability and Develop-
ment in the Great Lakes region;

10. Urges the Government of the DRC, with the support of MONUC — whose resources have to be
increased — and, in accordance with paragraph 9(b) of the Joint Communiqué of 9 November 2007,
to ‘launch military operations, as a matter of urgency, to dismantle the ex-FAR/Interahamwe as a geno-
cidal military organisation in the DRC’, and that these operations ‘be simultaneously conducted with
operations to dismantle illegal armed groups in North and South Kivu’,

11. Welcomes the will expressed by Rwanda and the DRC during the meeting of their respective foreign
affairs ministers in Kinshasa on 3 and 4 September 2007 to normalise relations between the two coun-
tries, and encourages them in this regard;

12. Requests that all the states signatory to the Pact on Security, Stability and Development in the Great

Lakes region ratify and implement it fully;

13. Calls for efforts to be made at national and international level to reinforce the rule of law in the DRC,

especially in the areas of governance and security;

14. Appeals for the restoration and respect for the authority of the state in the entire country, which

implies disarming all the militia;

15. Calls on the international community, including the EU Member States and the ACP States, to honour

their promises to cooperate with the DRC and help to bring stability to the east of the country;

16. Calls on the UN, the EU, the AU and the other partners of the DRC to continue to support the efforts
of that country's authorities to reform the army, the police, the security services and the judiciary with
a view to re-establishing the state and its authority, all essential elements for the consolidation of peace
and security in the country and the Great Lakes region as well;

17. Expresses satisfaction with the establishment of democratically elected institutions in the DRC and calls
on the country's leaders to take all the necessary initiatives to consolidate democracy and ensure the
participation of all the active forces in the Congolese nation in the governance of the country on the
basis of constitutional rule;

18. Welcomes the fact that the Parliament of the DRC has passed the law establishing the status of political

opposition, and calls for its rapid promulgation and successful application;

19. Calls for support from the EU and the international community for the organisation of the local and
municipal elections, initially scheduled to be held in 2007, as the last stage of the Congolese electoral
process;

20. Takes note of the decision to review the mining and forestry exploitation contracts signed during the
period of war and the transition phase with a view to their renegotiation, and calls on the Government
of the DRC to put in place transparent mechanisms for the management of the country's natural
resources to enable the Parliament, as well as civil society, to put forward proposals in the interest of
the Congolese population;

21. Considers that access to, and the democratic control and equitable redistribution of, the country's
natural wealth in favour of the population as a whole are indispensable for the sustainable development
of the country;

22. Calls on the European Commission and the Council of the EU to strengthen its present cooperation
links with the Government of the DRC in the area of supervision of the exploitation of the country's
natural resources;

23.

Instructs its Co-Presidents to forward this resolution to the ACP-EU Council, the European Commis-
sion, the Governments of the DRC and the Great Lakes countries, the Secretary-General of the UN and
the Commission of the AU.