Le Sénat américain au secours du RDCongo
I’d like to encourage you to
contact your senators requesting that they become co-sponsors of this
resolution (the list of senators who are already co-sponsors are at the bottom
of this message). You can go to the following website to find out
how to contact your senator through the internet or by phone. http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm
And please ask all your
friends to do the same.
FEINGOLD, BROWNBACK CALL FOR CEASEFIRE IN THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO
Resolution is a Bipartisan Effort to Implement a Comprehensive Solution to
Violence in DRC
November 19, 2008 http://feingold.senate.gov/~feingold/releases/08/11/20081119.html
WashingtonD.C.
“Last year, I travelled toNorth Kivu, where the
fighting is taking place, and saw firsthand the grave suffering of people who
have lived through a decade of armed conflict,” Feingold said. “I urge my Senate
colleagues to support this resolution calling for a ceasefire as the renewed
violence has only worsened the suffering of the people in the DRC and has left
thousands displaced from their homes. There is no military solution to the
conflict in eastern Congo
Brownback said, “The conflict
in the Democratic Republic of Congo is the forgotten crisis in our world today.
With over 250,000 people displaced in the last two months, sporadic fighting
between armed groups, rape and sexual violence thriving on impunity, this
forgotten crisis continues to pass through each of our hands without our
knowledge. Exploited minerals, used in our daily electronics, are being
smuggled out of eastern Congo which in turn are
funding armed groups and allowing this conflict to continue... We call on the
electronics industry for transparency in their products, we call for an
immediate ceasefire and negotiations towards a political solution to this
conflict, and we call on the international community to not allow Congo
The Feingold-Brownback resolution:
- Condemns the continuing violence against
civilians
- Calls for a
ceasefire
- Calls on the DRC government to end the threat posed by the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda
- Calls on the governments of DRC and
Rwanda to restore bilateral relations
- Calls on the governments in the
Great Lakes region and Southern Africa Development Community to support a peaceful resolution and ensure the volatile situation does not spark a wider regional war
- Supports efforts to bring all parties to negotiating table to implement peace agreement
- Encourages the international community to enhance effectiveness of the U.N. Mission in
Congo
- Urges
U.S. government to sustain high-level diplomatic engagement with the A.U., E.U. and U.N. to avert wider regional war
- Urges
U.S. and international community to develop mechanisms to hold parties accountable to signed peace agreements
- Urges
U.S. and international community to adopt measures to help regional governments to identify and address factors underlying the conflict, like weak governance and exploitation of the region’s lucrative materials.
The resolution is cosponsored
by a bipartisan group of senators including Senators Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Tom
Harkin (D-IA), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Kerry (D-MA), Chris Dodd (D-CT),
Olympia Snowe (R-ME), Joe Lieberman (I-CT), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Johnny
Isakson (R-GA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Barbara Boxer (D-CA), Ron Wyden (D-OR),
Kit Bond (R-MO), Norm Coleman (R-MN), Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ).
A copy of the resolution can
be viewed here.
Lorraine M.Thompson, Ph.D.
Forum Réalisance Appel