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Steps to solve the crisis in eastern DRC

Saturday December 15 2012

Testimony of Assistant Secretary Johnnie Carson, Bureau of African Affairs US Department of State, before the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights.

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In response to the M23’s offensive on Goma last month, I travelled to Kinshasa, Kigali, and Kampala between November 24 and 28 with my British and French counterparts.

During meetings with senior Ugandan, Rwandan, and Congolese officials, we delivered a clear and common message: as agreed in the November 21 and 24 Kampala communiqués, there must be an immediate cessation of hostilities and M23 must withdraw from Goma; the Congolese, Rwandan, and Ugandan governments should ensure the implementation of these commitments; and any outside support to the M23 is unacceptable and must stop.

We also urged top officials in the Congolese, Rwandan, and Ugandan governments to work together toward a sustainable resolution of underlying issues. All three governments reiterated to us their commitment to these goals.

No immunity

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We also stressed that, while the DRC government has agreed to hear the political grievances of the M23, there should be no impunity for senior M23 leaders who are under ICC indictment or international sanctions for human rights violations.

There is a credible body of evidence that corroborates key findings of the Group of Experts’ reports — including evidence of significant military and logistical support, as well as operational and political guidance, from the Rwandan government to the M23. We do not have a similar body of evidence that Uganda has a government-wide policy of support to the M23.

As required by law, the Department suspended Foreign Military Financing funds to Rwanda this year.

We ask the government of Uganda to ensure that supplies to the M23 do not originate in or transit through Ugandan territory, including from individual officials that may be acting on their own.

We are taking a number of other steps, in concert with our international partners, as part of our comprehensive response to the current crisis.

First and foremost, we are monitoring humanitarian needs and mobilising a response. The recent attacks by M23 and other armed groups have displaced some 500,000 more people.

The re-opening of the Goma airport on December 5 was an important step toward ensuring that vulnerable populations receive the emergency assistance they need.

Second, the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region, or ICGLR, the African Union, and the Security Council have all demanded that the M23 refrain from further offensives and stay out of Goma.

Third, we believe that Presidents Kabila, Kagame, and Museveni must continue to engage in direct talks to address the underlying causes of instability.

Fourth, we appreciate the brave service of peacekeepers from several dozen countries operating in very difficult, often dangerous conditions. Yet more must be done to protect civilians in the Eastern DRC.

Fifth, the DRC government has the primary responsibility for protecting its territory and all its citizens. We are urging President Kabila to undertake a credible effort to professionalise and reform the Congolese security forces.

If we are to stop the recurring lethal violence, rape, humanitarian emergencies, and cross-border conflict in the eastern DRC, we must move beyond short-term fixes.

Today’s crisis is a tragedy, but it also offers a real opportunity to help the Congolese people set a more sustainable course toward peace.

The framework for action at the national, regional, and international levels that I have outlined today could help the peoples to escape the recurring cycles of conflict.

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