May 12, 2011 The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton Secretary of

May 12, 2011
The Honorable Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
United States Department of State
2201 C St, NW
Washington, DC 20520
Re: Appointment of a US Special Envoy for the African Great Lakes Region, and Greater
US Engagement on the Democratic Republic of Congo
Dear Secretary Clinton:
We, the undersigned organizations, write to urge you and the United States government to take
steps to bolster and better coordinate US diplomacy and assistance in the Democratic Republic of
Congo to help avert a further deterioration of the situation there. In particular, we urge you to
appoint a new US Special Envoy tasked with developing and implementing a comprehensive
strategy for the African Great Lakes region. This is especially important given that Congo’s
challenges have considerable regional significance and that effective coordination among
international partners, the Congolese government, and neighboring countries is strongly needed.
We have welcomed your calls for concerted action on behalf of victims of conflict in Congo, but
believe that the Great Lakes region requires dedicated US engagement beyond the standard
diplomatic representation.
A US Special Envoy to the region, reporting directly to you, would be invaluable to help address
a number of key cross-border concerns, including the significant military, economic, and
political role of Rwanda in eastern Congo; the presence of members of Burundian armed
opposition groups in Congo’s South Kivu province; the deployment of Ugandan army troops to
pursue the rebel Lord’s Resistance Army in northern Congo; and the continuing humanitarian
and political challenges posed by tens of thousands of refugees and internally displaced persons
who have fled across the Great Lakes countries.
Any official tasked with developing and carrying out a Great Lakes strategy should have the
mandate to coordinate initiatives across the US government, with sufficient and experienced
staff. Understanding that a Special Envoy for the Great Lakes will undoubtedly face numerous
competing priorities, we urge the United States government to focus its efforts on the following
areas:
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1. Insist on Free, Fair, and Credible Elections
Free, fair, and credible presidential and parliamentary elections – currently slated for November
2011 – will be crucial for stability in Congo. Yet we have already received reports of voter
registration irregularities and of government security forces targeting opposition members,
journalists, and civil society activists, effectively stifling free speech and assembly from
Kinshasa to the Kivus. The US government, in coordination with other foreign partners, should
speak out without delay to denounce impediments to peaceful demonstrations or restrictions on
the right to freedom of expression in the pre-election period, as well as any apparent election
irregularities.
We urge the US government to lead international efforts to provide financial and practical
support for Congolese and international civil society election observers and to enable such
observers to be deployed well in advance of the elections and to remain as long as necessary
afterwards. In addition, the United States should work to ensure that the United Nations mission
in Congo, MONUSCO, fulfills its mandate to assist with logistics, monitoring, and other
electoral issues, including a program to train police to prevent pre-electoral and electoral
violence and safeguard polling stations, similar to efforts made during the 2006 polls.
2. Coordinate and Condition US and Multilateral Financial Assistance to Congolese
Government
As part of a revitalized strategy led by the Special Envoy and in concert with other foreign
partners, the US government should make it clear to the Congolese government, both publicly
and privately, that the US government will condition political support and direct, nonhumanitarian assistance to the Congolese government on its progress toward meeting specific
targets and outcomes established and agreed in advance. These should include measures related
to security sector reform, respect for human rights, good governance, and effective service
provision. US support for assistance from the World Bank and International Monetary Fund to
the Congolese government should also be coordinated with other donor countries, and similarly
conditioned.
3. Intensify Efforts to Protect Civilians, Particularly in Eastern and Northern Congo
A new study published this month in the American Journal of Public Health estimates that over
400,000 women and girls were victims of sexual violence in Congo during a 12-month period in
2006 and 2007 – a yearly statistic far higher than previously estimated. Today, more than 1.7
million people remain displaced as a result of insecurity in eastern Congo. Despite a March 2009
peace accord involving 23 parties to the conflict in the country’s east, military operations
continue between the Congolese army and foreign and Congolese armed groups; all sides,
including the regular army and recently integrated rebel forces, are responsible for frequent and
grave human rights abuses. The largely Rwandan Hutu rebel group the Democratic Forces for
the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR) remains responsible for many abuses against the civilian
population in the east, as are a number of other armed groups.
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More robust US diplomatic engagement with Congolese authorities and neighboring
governments, as well as intensified support for effective demobilization and reintegration
programs of Congolese and foreign armed groups, are needed to help build a lasting peace and
protect civilians at risk of attack in Congo’s eastern provinces.
In northern Congo, the Ugandan rebel group the Lord’s Resistance Army (LRA) continues its
horrific abuses against civilians. We urge you to use the United States’ diplomatic influence to
insist on a greater and more effective international peacekeeping presence in LRA-affected areas
and to support the deployment of specialized units capable of arresting the LRA’s top leaders
wanted for war crimes by the International Criminal Court.
More broadly, we urge the United States to use its influence at the United Nations Security
Council to insist on proactive UN mission engagement to protect Congolese civilians, including
increased peacekeeper patrols, more interpreters, additional helicopters and essential military
resources, a more assertive and flexible interpretation of the rules of engagement consistent with
international law, regular human rights investigations followed by public reporting, and greater
efforts to support arrests and judicial proceedings against high-profile human rights violators.
4. Increase Support for Justice and Security Sector Reform
Violence in Congo over the last 15 years is partly the result of entrenched impunity and a dearth
of effective efforts to reform and improve the conduct of the Congolese security forces. The US
government should lead in the creation of a common donor policy focused on obtaining
agreements with all Congolese security and judicial institutions for a government-led reform
program. This policy should require clear, measurable benchmarks related to accountability,
transparency, independence, and effective administration of these institutions. The UN mission
should only justifiably contemplate withdrawal when the Congolese state is able to fulfill its
most basic functions, including establishing a fair and effective judicial system and protecting
civilians through competent and adequately paid police and military personnel.
The Congolese government has routinely promoted army officers with a well-documented record
of serious human rights abuses. These include Col. Innocent Zimurinda, who was put on the UN
sanctions list just before being promoted last December, and Bosco Ntaganda, the former
warlord turned army general who is sought on an arrest warrant by the International Criminal
Court and continues to commit abuses.
The US government should exert leadership in pressing the Congolese government to arrest and
bring to justice alleged perpetrators of human rights abuses. In particular, we urge the US to
work with the Congolese government to develop a strategy for Ntaganda’s arrest and, in view of
Rwanda’s support for Ntaganda and the close relationship between the US and Rwandan
governments, to also engage with the Rwandan government on this issue. The United States
should strongly support the creation of vetting mechanisms to remove soldiers and police
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officers with records of serious human rights abuses and screen new recruits. The United States
should also closely monitor Congolese army units for alleged abuses, and apply the Leahy law to
suspend assistance to units involved in serious abuses.
We greatly value the important efforts that US War Crimes Ambassador Stephen Rapp has made
to support the establishment of a specialized mixed court, with Congolese and international
personnel, to try war crimes committed in Congo since 1990. We urge the US government to
continue working closely with Congolese authorities, civil society, and other donor countries to
ensure the court’s independence, credibility, and effectiveness.
5. Encourage Demilitarization of Congolese Mining Sector and Vigorously Enforce
Dodd-Frank Provisions on Congo’s Conflict Minerals
Building on the State Department’s strategy for conflict minerals submitted to Congress, the US
government should invest in mineral traceability and supply chain due diligence to shift the
commercial incentives in the region away from conflict and toward peaceful development. The
United States should also support Congolese efforts to prosecute illegal military involvement in
mining. The US government should develop an implementation plan that includes independent
monitoring and enforceable penalties for Congolese and foreign government officials and
corporations that circumvent regulations. Oversight should be performed by multiple
stakeholders, including civil society representatives.
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The United States has a critical role to play in supporting a true and lasting peace in the region
and moving Congo from a culture of impunity to one of accountability. We hope you will help
lead in these efforts by appointing a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes, tasked with focusing on
the priorities outlined above.
Sincerely,
American and International Organizations:
A Thousand Sisters; ActionAid International - DRC; Africa Faith and Justice Network (AFJN);
Eastern Congo Initiative (ECI); Enough Project; Falling Whistles; Global Centre for the
Responsibility to Protect; Global Witness; Human Rights Watch; ICCO; Invisible Children;
Jewish World Watch; MDF Afrique Centrale, Training and Consultancy (MDF-AC); Open
Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA); Resolve; Responsible Sourcing Network; VDay; War Child Canada/USA; War Child Holland; War Child UK; Women of Africa - RDC
Congolese Organizations:
Action de Promotion et d’Assistance pour l’Amélioration du Niveau de Vie des Populations
(APANIVIP); Action des Chrétiens Activistes des Droits de l’Homme à Shabunda
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(ACADHOSHA); Action des Chrétiens pour l’Abolition de la Torture au Nord-Kivu
(ACAT/NK); Action Globale pour la promotion Sociale et la paix (AGPSP); Action Humanitaire
pour le Développement Intégral (AHDI); Action Pour Enfants Oubliés (APEO); Action pour la
Promotion et la Défense des Droits des Personnes Défavorisées (APRODEPED); Action Sociale
pour la Paix et le Développement (ASPD); Actions pour la Promotion Socio-Économique des
Ménages (APROSEM); Appui aux Femmes Démunies et Enfants Marginalisés (AFEDEM);
Association Africaine de Défense des Droits de l’Homme (ASADHO); Association des Femmes
Ménagères pour le Développement (AFEMED); Association des Femmes Paysannes du NordKivu (AFEPANOKI); Association des Jeunes Engagés pour le Développement et la Santé
(AJDS); Association Groupe Féminin Nyamulisa; Bénévolat pour l’Enfance au Congo
(Benenfance Congo); Blessed Aid; Campagne Pour la Paix (CPP); Centre d’Etudes et de
Formation Populaire pour les Droits de l’Homme (CEFOP/DH); Centre de Recherche sur
l’Environnement, la Démocratie et les Droits de l’Homme (CREDDHO); Centre d’Observation
des Droits de l’Homme et d’Assistance Sociale (CODHAS); Centre pour la Justice et la
Réconciliation (CJR); Coalition Congolaise pour la Justice Transitionnelle (CCJT); Collectif des
Organisations Solidaires du Congo-Kinshasa (COJESKI); Défense et Assistance aux Femmes et
Enfants Vulnérables en Afrique (DAFEVA); Encadrement des Femmes Indigènes et des
Ménages Vulnérables (EFIM); Équipe de Soutien au Développement Intégral Humanitaire et de
la Biodiversité (ESDIHB); Fondation Points de Vues des Jeunes Africains pour le
Développement (FPJAD); Groupe d’Associations de Défense des Droits de l’Homme et de la
Paix (GADHOP); Groupe Justice et Libération (GJL); Groupe Lotus; Heal Africa; Initiation
Femme Debout pour la Justice (IFDJ); Initiative Congolaise pour la Justice et la Paix (ICJP);
Justice Plus; Ligue des Jeunes des Grands Lacs (LJGL); Ligue pour la Défense et la
Vulgarisation des Droits de l’Homme (LDVDH); Maniema Libertés (MALI); Observatoire
Congolais des Droits Humains (OCDH); Observatoire Congolais des Prisons (OCP);
Organisation pour la Défense des Droits de l’Enfant (ODDE - DRC); Pax Christi - Goma; Pax
Christi - Kikwit; Programme d’Appui à la Lutte Contre la Misère (PAMI); Promotion et Appui
aux Initiatives Féminines (PAIF); Réseau Provincial des Organisations Non Gouvernementales
de Droits de l’Homme au Congo (REPRODHOC); Solidarité des Volontaires pour l’Humanité
(SVH); Solidarité Féminine pour la Paix et le Développement Intégral (SOFEPADI); Solidarité
pour la Promotion Sociale et Paix (SOPROP); Synergie des Femmes pour les Victimes des
Violences Sexuelles (SFVS); Synergie pour l’Assistance Judiciaire aux Victimes de Violations
des Droits Humains au Nord-Kivu (SAJ); Union d’Action pour les Initiatives de Développement
(UAID); Union de Familles pour la Recherche de la Paix (UFAREP); Union Paysanne pour le
Développement Rural Intégré (UPADERI); Union pour l’Émancipation de la Femme Autochtone
(UEFA); Unité des Volontaires pour le Développement Social (UVDS)
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