Congo

Floor Speech

Mr. FEINGOLD. Mr. President, last month, the United Nations Group of Experts on the Democratic Republic of Congo presented its latest report to the U.N. Security Council. Over the years, the Group of Experts has conducted critical investigations into violations of the sanctions and the U.N. arms embargo toward Congo as well as human rights abuses and the linkages between natural resource exploitation and the financing of illegal armed groups. Yet, too often, the Group of Experts' reports and recommendations have not resulted in action by the Security Council and/or U.N. member states. I hope it will be different with this report, especially since it identifies a number of concrete steps through which U.N. member states can address the financial and support networks that fuel the violence in eastern Congo.

This new Group of Experts report particularly focuses on the FDLR, the armed group comprising many former Rwandan génocidaires that is at the heart of the instability in eastern Congo. It documents how this group continues to benefit from ``residual but significant support'' from top commanders of the Congolese military. It also documents how this group is supported by a far-reaching international Diaspora network. Based on records of satellite phones, the Group of Experts found that the FDLR commanders frequently communicate with people in twenty-five different countries in Europe, North America and Africa. The report also mentions credible reports and testimony that the FDLR is using Burundi ``as a rear base'' for regrouping and recruitment purposes.

To address these continued support networks, the Group of Experts recommends that U.N. member states direct their respective law enforcement and security agencies to conduct investigations and share relevant information on FDLR Diaspora members providing material support to the group. The Group also calls on member states to prosecute violations of the sanctions regime by their nationals or leaders of armed groups that are currently residing within their countries. The report cites three such leaders who have resided in France and Germany. With regard to the Congolese military, the Group recommends that the Security Council require member states to notify and get approval from the Sanctions Committee for all deliveries of military equipment and provision of training to Congo. This would help ensure that international assistance is not contributing to abusive behavior or going to units of the military believed to be colluding with armed groups.

Building on its previous reports, the Group of Experts report also shows how the FDLR and other armed groups continue to benefit from the exploitation of natural resources. According to this Group's investigations, the FDLR continues to get millions of dollars in direct financing from gold and cassiterite reserves in eastern Congo. The report illustrates how gold from eastern Congo is smuggled out to Uganda and Burundi, and then travels on to the United Arab Emirates and ultimately international markets. Similarly, the report documents how former rebels of the CNDP--who have ostensibly become part of the Congolese military--continue to control and exploit mineral-rich areas. In fact, two of the most lucrative mining sites are reportedly controlled by units of the Congolese military that are composed almost exclusively of former CNDP units. This is especially worrying in the context of the CNDP's integration into the Congolese military, which is still extremely fragile.

I have long called for action to address the armed exploitation of Congo's minerals, which fuels this conflict. I was pleased to join with Senators BROWNBACK and DURBIN earlier this year to introduce the Congo Conflict Minerals Act, S. 891, which would commit the United States to address this issue comprehensively. And I was glad that Secretary Clinton spoke about this issue during her visit to Congo in August. As the Group of Experts report makes clear, armed groups will continue to exploit the region's rich mineral base as long as it is profitable. The Group of Experts recommends that member states take necessary measures to clarify the due diligence obligations of companies under their respective jurisdictions that operate with these minerals. The Group also calls for the Congolese government to establish an independent monitoring team, with international support, to conduct spot checks of mines and mineral trading routes.

I am glad that there is increasing outrage about what is happening in eastern Congo. It is the single deadliest conflict since the Second World War and millions have been displaced from their homes, forced to live in squalid conditions. Countless women and girls and some men and boys in the Congo have endured rape and sexual violence. But our outrage means little unless it translates into concrete actions to fundamentally change the situation in Congo. We need to finally get serious about addressing the underlying issues that make this war profitable and allow it to persist. The Group of Experts has provided a clear picture of some of those issues as well as specific ways that U.N. member states can address them, including within our own national jurisdictions. I applaud the Group for its courageous work. I strongly hope that the Security Council will pursue the report's recommendations, and I urge the Obama administration to lead the way in this respect.

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