“U.S. Policy Toward Post Election Democratic Republic of the Congo”/02/02/2012
“U.S. Policy Toward Post Election Democratic Republic of the Congo”
Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee
February 2, 2012
Today’s hearing today will examine U.S. policy options for dealing with the ongoing crisis in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, one of the priority countries in the United States’ Africa policy as identified by the Administration and as confirmed by Congressional legislation and oversight over the past several years. This country is two-thirds the size of Western Europe and borders nine African countries. Its problems extend well beyond its borders.
The Subcommittee last examined the situation in the DRC in a hearing in March of last year, when the storm clouds were gathering in advance of the November elections.
The DRC is now struggling with the aftermath of those elections.
Opposition political parties and civil society, especially the Catholic Church, appear unwilling to accept the results of the presidential and legislative elections.
Opposition leader Étienne Tshisekedi received 32 percent of the votes, but he believes he was cheated out of votes that would have made him the winner in the elections. He has staged a presidential swearing-in ceremony and announced that he will form a government.
He also has called on supporters to march with him to government headquarters. However, government armed forces have surrounded his home since the presidential results were announced on December 9, and even his aides have been prevented from meeting with him.
Suspicion persists that this election was manipulated in favor of incumbent President Joseph Kabila.
The Carter Center, which observed the vote, as well as the United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DRC (MONUSCO) and most of DRC’s civil society, all cast serious doubt on the announced outcome of the election. According to the Carter Center, ballots were missing in some areas, while results for Kabila in other areas were deemed “unrealistic.” Calls for new elections not only continue, but appear to be growing in intensity.
Perhaps government intimidation has minimized any uprising by a discontented population, or perhaps the Congolese have accepted that Kabila will do whatever it takes to ensure his victory. It could be that poverty and a lack of information among the population has restrained the widespread resort to protest. Still, there is significant instability throughout the country.
This calls into question the long-term stability of a country that is critical to U.S. interests, which includes the continued flow of strategic minerals.
Congolese have reason to be skeptical that they will ever have a stable government that functions on their behalf. There has been one crisis after another since independence in 1960, caused by the selfish actions of predatory leadership. An estimated four million Congolese lost their lives in two wars from which they are still recovering.
Most Congolese remain poor, hungry and in danger of violence. Their government cannot provide the most basic necessities for their families. Public administration is virtually non-existent, with civil servants demanding payment from the public for even the most routine services. MONUSCO is handling security, and the World Health Organization is dealing with the country’s public health issues. The challenge for the international community is to help build the capacity and political will of Congolese officials to assume the responsibility for caring for and protecting their citizens.
Since November, violence attributed to the Congolese military, the Rwandan rebel group the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) and local militia has caused more than 100,000 Congolese to become internally displaced persons or refugees. Local vigilante groups have clashed with the Rwandan rebels in North Kivu province and displaced about 75,000 from 30 villages in North Kivu province. Similar clashes in Ituri and northern Katanga have had a serious impact in those areas as well. This raises serious concerns for a potential humanitarian crisis.
Women continue to be targeted for abuse in DRC. A study that recently appeared in the American Journal of Public Health concluded that an average of 48 women and girls are raped every hour in this country. So before our hearing today is ended, more than 100 females in DRC will have been raped.
However, there remains hope for DRC despite the current crisis. Even during the worst stages of the global financial crisis, the World Bank was predicting that DRC’s economy would grow by seven percent annually over the next several years, making it one of the world’s fastest growing economies.
At the local level, Congolese reportedly have developed coping methods for an absent government. Women have developed rotating credit systems to compensate for an inaccessible banking system, and farmers have banded together to rent trucks to jointly take their produce to market.
According to the latest election results, the ruling party in DRC has lost 45 seats they previously held to opposition parties, with 17 other elections yet to be rerun after being annulled. This may help in establishing grounds for political reconciliation.
Since the early days of Congolese independence, the United States has been involved in the DRC and continues to play a significant role there. In FY2011, Economic Support Funds were targeted to support the Government of Congo’s stabilization and recovery program through support to community recovery and reconciliation, conflict mitigation and resolution, and the extension of authority. International Military Education and Training funds focus on training Congolese officers on military justice, human rights and joint operations. The United States also provides significant humanitarian assistance to the DRC. The United States provided bilateral aid to DRC of more than $205 million in FY2008, $296 million in FY2009, $282 million in FY2010, and $215 million in FY2011. The Obama Administration requested more than $262 million for FY2012.
Our hearing today will allow the Administration agencies primarily responsible for the United States’ relations with the DRC to report on what our government can and will do to help the world’s 12th largest country weather this current crisis.
2 Commentaires
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Démocratie Chrétienne, D.C. 
Dear Br Lutaka, your letter’s very passionate and express the chief aspiration of the Kongolese people and in a just world it would be taken very seriously and in great consideration. In fact, these western governments know very well about our troubles and are the chief instigators of all the atrocities that go on in our territory, theirs recent history serve us as reference. The truth is, they won’t listen to whatever we may have to say because in their eyes, we are their prey. Do you show any respect for the meat on your dinner’s plate?? probably NO!! That’s what we are in theirs eyes, MEAT!! It is sad but true and their survival depend on us being exploited as we are right now. So all these meetings and so called aid for development are simply playing politics on ours lives and destiny to satisfy their domestic opinion and to sanctify their positions. Brother these people are a waste of time and nothing consistent should be expected from them because there’s nothing they can do, why should they???
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The UK and US government must continue to promote universal principles of human >rights and demand that democracy returns to all parts of the world. >> >> >>The people of the Democratic Republic of Congo thirst for democracy in >their country. The UK, US government should stand by the Congolese >people in demanding the respect of The International Covenant on >Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) recognises the right of all >peoples to self-determination, including the right to « freely determine their political status », pursue their economic, social and cultural goals, and manage and dispose of their own resources. The UK and US government should not support >policies that promote the legitimisation of armed violence as the mean to access to power in the Great Lakes Regions of Africa. The UK also UK government, should not support the stability of a country under a dictatorial regime over >the stability of a country through a democratic process that bring change for >peace and justice as well development for grassroots populations in the Great >Lakes Regions of Africa. >>The current silence and apparent support provided >by western governments to Mr Joseph Kabila’s regime has been interpreted by the >defeated President Joseph Kabila’s regime and backbone supporters, as a green >light to continue to oppress and silence Congolese populations in the DRCongo >through violence by committing mass murders, abductions and kidnapping of >children who are being armed and used as militia. Congolese women have also >been targeting indiscriminately by various form of sexual violence as a mean of >oppression and intimidation. Additionally, Kabila’s political opponents, >journalists, human right activists and peaceful protesters have been illegally >detained, abducted, tortured and some savagely killed. >>The US and UK government should not support Media Blackout >and a censorship to stop broadcasting the uprising of CONGOLESE people >that is leaving British citizen including other Western citizen >unaware and ignorant of what is happening in the D.R. Congo. Turning >a blind eye on the atrocities and human right violations that are >currently occurring in the DRCongo demonstrates a determination to >support Multinational Companies economic interests through illegal >exploitation D.R. Congo’s Mineral resources by using neighbouring country’s >governments as export channels. >>As a British citizen who values and respects >the Universal Declaration of Human rights, I am very concerned by the
>situation innocent Congolese families leaving under armed violence >oppression and human insecurity. Therefore, I wish to draw your attention to >inhuman and immoral activities which have been politically, financially and >diplomatically supported by key Multi-International companies named in >various UN experts reports on the illegally exploiting of natural >resources and in fuelling the war as well as violence, lack of >accountability and impunity in the DRCongo. >>Considering that the UK and US government has >demonstrated a strong genuine interest to support peace and security in the >DRC, by investing $1 Million/per day of British tax payers money in the >DRCongo and has moved to become the key bilateral donors in the DRC through its >support of the UN mission (MONUSCO) and many NGOs, it will be a disaster if the US and UK are perceived as demonstrating a double standard by turning a blind eye >on evidences of rigged elections, intimidations languages
used toward >opposition leaders and Congolese population who are peacefully protesting, >while not condemning the on-going killing and other human right abuses >committing by Joseph Kabila’s current regime that is using armed violence. >>Through this letter I urge you to call on the UK >government to stop supporting leaders of countries that misuse and abuse their >power to rig elections as well as oppress its citizens. The British and your government should be invited to use an approach which >focuses at restoring the will of the Congolese people expressed at the 28th >November 2011 Elections. The US and British Government has a duty to adopt foreign >policies that respect human rights and warrant the welfare of the >Congolese people together with the protection of Congo’s national security, >economic growth and strong and democratic political institutions.
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