Communiques – en

Bujumbura, June 28: Following a Senior Management Meeting in Bujumbura between the Executive Secretariat of the International Conference on the Great Lakes Region (ICGLR) and the Concertation of Women’s Organizations operating in the Great Lakes Region (COCAFEM-GL), the ICGLR Executive Secretariat and COCAFEM-GL convened to join forces for a rapid end of hostilities in the Eastern part of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), and more specifically in the North-Kivu Province, as part of their effort to stop the ongoing massive Human Rights abuses, including Rape, Sexual and Gender-Based Violence (SGBV), forced recruitment of Child Soldiers, Unlawful Killings, thousands of Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) and Refugees and Illegal Exploitation of Natural Resources, etc.

Subject: Appeal to your conscience and your sense of responsibility

Ladies and Gentlemen,

We members of the Collective of the Congolese diaspora in Belgium, draw your attention to the fact that the Belgian Government through its Foreign Minister misleads you on the Congolese tragic realities. The DRC is in crisis with unpredictable consequences due to two major factors.

see attachment

Mr President, Honourable Members of the European Parliament,

The Democratic Republic of Congo is a country which demonstrates that the EU’s engagement must
be long term if it is productive, and where – over time – we are making a difference. I will focus my
remarks on two issues: democratic follow-up after the November 2011 elections and the security and
humanitarian situation in eastern Congo.

Excellency,

History is again repeating itself in the east of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). There is a risk of serious escalation of violence and the United Nations Stabilization Mission in the Congo (MONUSCO) is failing in its core mandate of stabilisation and protection of civilians. This month's renewal of MONUSCO presents a vital opportunity for the Security Council to review its strategy in the DRC.

The United Nations Organization Stabilization Mission in the DR Congo (MONUSCO ) recently revealed that the Rwandan government has a hand in the current instability in eastern Congo by giving support to the rebel groups National Congress for the Defense of the People (CNDP) and/or M23. This does not come as news to those who follow Congolese politics. Since 1996, the Rwandan government has acted as a major destabilizing force in the east of the Congo. Myriad studies and reports have documented how the Rwandan government has waged proxy wars through rebel groups, pilfering of Congo's resources and trading in hundreds of millions of dollars of conflict minerals.

Rejection of Warrant Request Not a Ruling on DRC Crimes

• New Telecommunications & ICT Minister of Africa’s largest sub Saharan country (the Democratic Republic of Congo) visits Airtel, the country’s largest telecommunications network

• Airtel is the first telecom network visited by newly appointed Minister, His Excellency Kin- Kiey Mulumba during familiarization tour

• As per the Government’s instructions said the Minister, the 3G license sale should be immediate and DRC connection to Optic Fiber is imminent

• Whilst 60% of the population is already covered, there is still a lot more potential

Wednesday 30 May 2012 16.00 EDT

The wars and human tragedy engulfing the Congo is worsening by the day. Millions have been killed since 1996. Hundreds of thousands of women have been raped; and millions more will die long after the conflict is over from the ensuing HIV/Aids pandemic, triggered by campaigns of sexual atrocities against women – and still spreading today at an alarming speed (The human spur to action, 30 May).

Ahead of today’s conference of Secret Mining in the Congo, by Professor Willy Vangu, please find below a supporting statement from Pauline Latham MP.