Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)

Conference is appalled that millions of Congolese have lost their lives in a conflict that the United Nations describes as the deadliest in the world since World War Two and which has also been described as a silent holocaust with an estimated six million deaths. United States allies, Rwanda and Uganda, invaded in 1996 the Congo (then Zaire) and again in 1998, which triggered the enormous loss of lives, systemic sexual violence and rape, and widespread looting of Congo’s spectacular natural wealth.

Congo is extremely rich in gold, diamonds, copper, cobalt, tin, uranium, coltan and many other precious minerals. Congo has 64% of the earth’s coltan, a precious mineral that is needed for our modern electronics such as iphones, ipads, computers and laptops. In 1946 the ‘Strategic Minerals Stockpiling Act’ was passed to obtain and stockpile cobalt, with the largest reserves of cobalt on the planet Congo was targeted. Cobalt was described within the act as a strategic and critical mineral essential for the United States aerospace, military and defence industries.

The United States and the UK provide financial and military aid to countries such as Rwanda and Uganda these neighbouring countries plunder Congo’s natural resources as the death toll rises. In four studies the United Nations implicated multi-national companies in sourcing coltan from Congo stating that these companies serve as the ‘engine of the conflict’. A further United Nations (leaked) report in 2010 stated that crimes of genocide may have been committed by Rwandan troops. The ongoing conflict, instability, weak institutions, dependency and impoverishment in the Congo are a product of a 125 year tragic experience of enslavement, forced labour, colonial rule, assassinations, dictatorship, wars, external intervention and corrupt rule. There is very little media coverage about what is actually happening in the Congo, when there is coverage it is very often about rebel groups committing mass atrocities. What these reports do not cover are the funding, training and the arming of these rebel groups by foreign governments.

Conference instructs the Executive Council to produce a report recommending actions to be taken by Brigade Committees to raise awareness of the current position within the DRC and also within the report recommend affiliation to an agreed DRC support group.