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Democratic Republic of the Congo: An Update

Date:
Location:
2255 Rayburn House Office Building

Announcement

Please join the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission (TLHRC) for a briefing on the complex political and human rights situation in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC).

In December 2016, representatives of President Joseph Kabila’s ruling coalition and members of the political opposition signed an agreement designed to ensure a peaceful, electoral transfer of power and avert a violent crisis after the expiration of Kabila’s second term in office.  The agreement, mediated by the Congolese national conference of Catholic bishops (CENCO), set December 2017 as the deadline for elections, prohibited Kabila from seeking a third term or amending the constitution, mandated a unity government, and identified confidence-building measures designed to open up political space.  Implementation, however, has been incomplete at best. CENCO formally withdrew from the mediation in March, and new political violence threatens to spiral out of control.  

As a credible timetable for organizing elections has yet to be issued, the government has suppressed civil society and opposition members, arresting dozens of activists, banning opposition demonstrations, and breaking up protests using tear gas and live bullets. Meanwhile, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights and independent human rights organizations have reported on a new wave of grave human rights abuses linked to armed conflict, including extrajudicial executions, targeted killings, and civilian massacres. Over the past year, long-running insecurity in the east has worsened, while new conflict hotspots have emerged, most notably in the central Kasai region.  The number of people internally displaced in the DRC has reached 3.8 million, more than double the number in mid-2016. At least 1.4 million of these newly displaced people are in Kasai, some 850,000 of whom are children.   

Panelists will provide an update on the various dimensions of the crisis in the DRC, and offer options for Congress to pursue in response.

This briefing is open to Members of Congress, congressional staff, the interested public, and the media. For any questions, please contact Kimberly Stanton (for Mr. McGovern) at 202-225-3599 or Kimberly.Stanton@mail.house.gov or Jamie Staley (for Mr. Hultgren) at 202-226-1516 or Jamie.Staley@mail.house.gov.

Hosted by:

James P. McGovern
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Randy Hultgren
Member of Congress
Co-Chair, TLHRC
Witnesses

Panelists

  • Steve Hege, Senior Program Officer, Middle East & Africa, U.S. Institute of Peace
  • Mike Jobbins, Director of Global Affairs and Partnerships, Search for Common Ground
    Written statement
  • Adotei Akwei, Africa Advocacy Director, Amnesty International USA
  • Aditi Gorur, Director, Protecting Civilians in Conflict Program, Stimson Center

Moderator

  • Alexis Arieff, Analyst in African Affairs, Congressional Research Service

Bios

Contact The Commission

Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
House Committee on Foreign Affairs
4150 O'Neill House Office Building
200 C Street SW
Washington, D.C. 20515
United States of America

Phone: +1 (202) 225-3599
Fax: +1 (202) 226-6584
TLHRC@mail.house.gov

Accessibility

The Commission seeks to make its events, meetings and hearings accessible to persons with disabilities.

If you are in need of special accommodations, please call (202) 225-3599 at least four business days in advance.

Questions with regard to special accommodations in general (including availability of Commission materials in alternative formats and assistive listening devices, sign language interpretation, etc.) may be directed to the Commission.

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