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Kivu Conflict – Avoid Escalation in the Great Lakes Region

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Kivu Conflict – Avoid Escalation in the Great Lakes Region Tuesday, 20 November 2007 PRESS RELEASE Kivu conflict – avoid escalation in the Great Lakes region Directorate-General Information for EUROPEAN PARLIAMENT EN EN DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO Kivu conflict – avoid escalation in the Great Lakes region Compromise motion for a resolution on the situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo, in particular in the East, and its impact on the region Debate: 20-11-2007 Vote: 22-11-2007 Conflict and violence in the Kivu region, in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), on the Uganda/Rwanda border, has obliged almost 370,000 civilians to leave their homes since December 2006. In this part of the DRC, the rebel general Laurent N’Kunda is fighting Congolese government forces. The ACP-EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly is to adopt a resolution on this issue on Thursday 22 November 2007. Jürgen Schroeder (EPP-ED, DE), who was the head of the European Parliament mission to observe the presidential elections in the DRC on 31 July 2006, said in the debate that these elections had gone better than anyone had predicted. “This country is more democratic than before, even though the situation in Kivu is a humanitarian disaster, on a scale that makes it “difficult to grasp the extent of human suffering” said the MEP. As children die, women are raped and fighting along ethnic lines obliges civilians to seek refuge in neighbouring countries such as Uganda, the crisis could escalate and threaten the stability of the Great Lakes region, said Mr Schroeder, lending his support to conciliation efforts between the DRC and Rwanda. “Adopting the resolution unanimously would send a clear signal to governments that the Kivu provinces need to be pacified and brought into the democratization process”, he concluded. The DRC representative Benjamin Bounkoulou (Congo-Brazzaville) welcomed recent efforts by Burundi, the DRC, Uganda and Rwanda, and, in particular, the 9 November DRC/Rwanda joint communiqué on a common approach to ending the threat to peace and stability in the two countries and in the Great Lakes region. The resolution 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. Internally displaced persons and refugees The Assembly expresses grave concern about 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, particularly by cooperating fully with partners such as the UN World Food Programme (WFP) and the UN High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR). Finally the Assembly urges the DRC government to launch military operations to dismantle the ex-FAR/Interahamwe, which constitute a “genocidal military organisation” and to bring the alleged perpetrators to justice. Press Release – Kigali, Rwanda 2 ACP/EU These operations should be carried out in parallel with the operations to disarm and dismantle the other renegade armed groups in north and south Kivu. The Assembly welcomes the will to normalize their bilateral relations expressed by Rwanda and the DRC during the meeting of their respective foreign affairs ministers in Kinshasa on 3 and 4 September 2007. The vote on the resolution will take place on Thursday 22 November 2007 . Link to website of the ACP/EU Joint Parliamentary Assembly http://www.europarl.europa.eu/intcoop/acp/60_14/default_en.htm Further information: Andrew Boreham EP Press –Serena Conference Centre Kigali, Rwanda Mob. (32) 498 98 3591 [email protected] Press Release – Kigali, Rwanda 3 ACP/EU .
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