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Issues Foreign
Policy Africa Peace
and Stability Democratic Republic of Congo
I have long worked to bring an end to the conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the deadliest since the Second World War. In 1999, I visited ten African countries to rally support for peace efforts in the Congo. I visited eastern Congo in 2007 and met with women and girls who had been raped, leaving them with horrific physical and psychological damage. Senator Barbara Boxer and I co-chaired a hearing on violence against women in the Congo.
I continue to push for the development of a U.S. policy to address the underlying causes of the conflict in eastern Congo. To that end, I am an original cosponsor of the Congo Conflict Minerals Act, with Senators Sam Brownback and Dick Durbin. This legislation would commit the State Department to focus more on how armed groups in eastern Congo finance their activities by exploiting the rich minerals there. It would also require companies registered on U.S. stock exchanges that use these minerals in their products to provide information on the source of those minerals.
Calling Attention to the Congo:
October 21, 2009 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "Yet, rather than coming to an end of this nightmare, I am worried that Congo is now entering another chapter of it. Without a clear and viable plan for civilian protection, continuing military operations and deployments will likely lead to further reprisal attacks by armed groups and greater displacement. At the same time, without real progress to demilitarize the economy and reform the Congolese military, any security gains are likely to be short-lived."
September 9, 2009 – Statement for Congressional Record: "Secretary Clinton next traveled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, with a visit to the eastern city of Goma. I applaud her for choosing to focus on the crisis in the eastern Congo, which has gone neglected for too long despite its unrivaled human toll and the unspeakable levels of sexual violence. Secretary Clinton committed to new efforts to help prevent and respond to the high levels of gender and sexual violence, while also recognizing the need to address the root causes of Congo's crisis, including the exploitation of natural resources by armed groups."
July 13, 2009 – Letter to Secretary of State Clinton: "I urge you to develop a long-term policy that addresses the underlying causes of this conflict and presses regional governments to engage proactively, while also taking immediate steps to prevent the current situation from deteriorating further."
May 13, 2009 – Co-chaired hearing entitled "Confronting Rape and Other Forms of Violence against Women in Conflict Zones; Spotlight: DR Congo and Sudan": "The stories I heard in eastern Congo are horrifying. Yet even more horrifying is how common such stories have become for women and girls across eastern Congo and other conflict zones, including those in Sudan. Rape and other forms of gender-based violence are not just outgrowths of war and its brutality – they can also be weapons of war."
April 23, 2009 – Statement upon introduction of the Congo Conflict Minerals Act: "Mr. President, today I am pleased to join Senators Brownback and Durbin as an original co-sponsor of the Congo Conflict Minerals Act of 2009. The purpose of this bill is to bring greater attention and transparency to the way in which the trade in three minerals—columbite-tantalite, cassiterite, or wolframite—is intertwined with the ongoing violence, displacement and human rights abuses in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. The metals derived from these three minerals are used widely in the electronic products that we use daily, from cell phones to laptops to digital cameras."
January 23, 2009 – Letter to GAO requesting a study on the linkages between eastern Congo's rich mineral base, armed groups and human rights abuses.
November 20, 2008 – Senate passes resolution authored by Feingold, calling for a ceasefire in eastern Congo and urging the international community to press all parties to support a comprehensive peace process.
November 19, 2008 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "In the face of a potential regional war, we can no longer rely on piecemeal tactics and half-measures. It's time for a comprehensive and concerted international effort to ensure protection and basic rights for all Congo's people. It is for that reason that I am today introducing a resolution calling for an immediate ceasefire in eastern Congo and a comprehensive solution to this crisis."
October 29, 2008 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "I am very concerned about the recent escalation in violence in eastern Democratic Republic of Congo. Last year, I traveled to North Kivu, where the fighting is taking place, and saw firsthand the grave suffering of people who have lived through a decade of armed conflict. Renewed violence only worsens this suffering and has left hundreds of thousands more people displaced."
September 12, 2008 – Letter to Secretary of State Rice expressing concern about the failure in eastern Congo to implement the Goma Peace Agreement.
April 10, 2008 – Letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice emphasizing the responsibility of the United States to encourage and facilitate the implementation of the Goma Peace Agreement in Congo.
November 27, 2007 – Letter to President Bush calling for the development of comprehensive strategies to support an end to the interrelated conflicts in the Democratic Republic of Congo and Uganda.
October 24, 2007 – Chaired hearing entitled "Exploring the U.S. Role in Consolidating Peace and Democracy in the Great Lakes Region": "Late last week saw a surge of militaristic rhetoric by the Congolese government and these words may soon turn into action. Indeed, President Kabila has ruled out negotiating with renegade General Laurent Nkunda and last week ordered his troops to prepare to disarm rebels 'by force if necessary.' The United States, and other donors, must send a strong signal that a more militarized policy is simply not acceptable."
October 3, 2007 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "As a first step, the Secretary of State should dispatch a 'booster' team to help prepare the embassy to deal with the diplomatic, humanitarian, and security work needed in order to exercise our influence and to participate in a broader international effort to prevent eastern DRC from deteriorating into complete … In eastern DRC, as in other parts of Africa, we must take steps today to promote political solutions that truly address the underlying causes of conflict or else we will be grappling with these vicious crises for years to come."
September 24, 2007 – Letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice expressing concern about the escalating conflict in eastern Congo and calling for the United States to promote a political resolution.
July 24, 2003 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "Certainly there is much to be gained – not just for Central Africa, not just for the United States, but for humanity – in protecting the diversity and majesty of the Congo Basin."
June 9, 2003 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "Perhaps most importantly, the U.S. must take concrete steps to insist that the government in Kinshasa and the governments of Rwanda and Uganda stop use their influence with the parties to stop the violence. We cannot simply stand by, reading reports of grotesque violence and massive suffering, and claim that there is nothing we can do. There is actually a great deal of work to be done. We should start today."
January 14, 2003 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "Experts have warned about the potential for terrorists to acquire uranium from central African sources. A free-for-all of corruption and instability is appealing to money-launderers, arms and mineral traffickers, and others who would prefer to keep their activities in the shadows. The spillover effects of sustained chaos in Congo are simply too serious to be ignored. The U.S. needs a coherent, long-term policy aimed at building stability and strengthening institutions."
January 25, 2002 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "My colleagues will surely recognize that a vast country gripped by deprivation and fear provides opportunities for some of the worst international actors. Surely they will see that the situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo creates a zone of instability at the heart of the continent—a direct challenge to our global efforts to stand on the side of both order and justice. Surely we will all realize that both our interests and our morals demand that we help the people of Goma not just to survive their immediate ordeal, but to rebuild their communities."
February 2, 2000 – Statement for the Congressional Record: "Our interests in global peace and stability, the rule of law, and respect for basic human rights are bound up in Congo's future … I traveled to many of the countries involved in the crisis at the end of last year. In Angola, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, in Uganda and Rwanda, and in the D.R.C. itself, I personally heard heads of state acknowledge the importance of making the Lusaka Agreement work."
September 1, 1998 – Introduce amendment to FY99 Foreign Operations appropriations bill mandating that no aid may be granted to the DRC until the President certifies the government is investigating and prosecuting those responsible for gross human rights violations.
July 31, 1997 – Cosponsored Senate Resolution 112, a resolution condemning the outbreak of violence in Congo.
July 15, 1997 – Letter to Secretary of State Albright calling for the U.S. to address the destabilizing influence of Congo’s neighbors.
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