Communiques – en

The Council today extended the two EU missions in the Democratic Republic of the Congo: the EU police mission (EUPOL) and the EU advisory and assistance mission forsecurity reform (EUSEC).

A coalition of 59 non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is calling on the European Commission to pass a strong law to prevent European businesses fuelling conflict and human rights abuses through their purchases of natural resources, such as tin, gold and diamonds. The call comes ahead of draft legislation due to be published by the Commission by the end of 2013.

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Journalist in Danger (JED) is extremely upset over death threats made by Mr. Vianney Kazarama – spokesperson for the M23 rebel group – towards a journalist in Goma, the capital of North Kivu, eastern Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Congolese parliament should suspend the passage of a controversial oil bill and insert basic measures to prevent corruption and drilling in one of the world’s most important national parks Global Witness said today.

On 22 August 2013, the members of the Security Council heard a briefing by Mr Edmond Mulet, Assistant Secretary-General for Peacekeeping Operations, on the situation in Eastern DRC.
The members of the Security Council condemned the resumption of fighting in Eastern DRC. They condemned in the strongest terms the repeated and targeted attacks by the M23 against civilians and MONUSCO, which have led to civilian casualties and loss of life, the death of a peacekeeper and the injury of several others, and damage to a MONUSCO ambulance.

Addis Ababa — The extractive industries sector is central to the illicit outflows of money from Africa, noted the Head of the High-level Panel on Illicit Outflows of Money from Africa, South Africa's former President – Thabo Mbeki midway through his team's fact-finding mission to the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) today.

Washington, DC — Press Statement by Marie Harf, Deputy Spokesperson, Office of the Spokesperson

KwaZulu-Natal Premier Dr Zweli Mkhize and the Governor of Kinshasa Andre Kimbuta Yango have signed a Declaration of Intent of Collaboration at Langeni Hotel, in Durban. This follows the working visit of a delegation from Kinshasa to KwaZulu-Natal which took place from the 4th to the 7th of st.

Human Rights Watch’s news release of July 22 on the Democratic Republic of Congo contained an error. It said that Rwandan soldiers had served with the peacekeeping contingent in Somalia and Darfur. In fact, Rwandan peacekeepers served in Darfur but not in Somalia.