EDM 1671: Peace and sovereignty in the Democratic Republic of the Congo

That this House expresses deep concerns about the devastating violence in eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo and the humanitarian crisis that’s caused over 15 million civilian deaths since 1996; notes that Amnesty International and UN experts have reported that the Rwandan-backed M-23 militia is committing war crimes through arbitrary detentions, torture and executions and the plundering of resources; further notes that this violence stems from the exploitation of DRC's vast natural resources by corporations like Glencore, often using child and slave labour; also notes that after independence in 1960, under Prime Minister Patrice Lumumba there was a brief opportunity for the Congolese people to benefit from their resources; notes that the best path to peace and prosperity for the DRC lies in democratic ownership of its resources; further notes that the recent ‘minerals-for-security deal’ brokered by President Trump on the basis of continued foreign exploitation of rare minerals from eastern Congo risks deepening the root cause of the conflict and a re-escalation in violence, human rights abuses, exploitation, foreign occupation and underdevelopment; and calls on the UK Government to use sanctions and other means to hold Rwanda, Kenya and Uganda accountable for their indirect support of M-23 and the Alliance Fleuve Congo, to work to ensure the inclusion of the Congolese people at the heart of negotiations, to recognise their sovereign right to democratic control of their resources, and to demand accountability for human rights violations, in order to ensure a just and lasting peace is secured.