[Ugnet] Crisis in the Congo

We write to express our deep concern about the forgotten crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). It now appears certain that the elections scheduled for June will be postponed until October of this year.

We urge you to work together with Congress to address the humanitarian crisis in the DRC and improve security so that elections may take place without further delay. We ask that you share with us your perception of the situation and the steps needed to create conditions for peace and security and your strategy for advancing that process in the Great Lakes region and the DRC more specifically.

Often referred to as Africa's 'World War,' the five-year civil war in the DRC ravaged central Africa, involving seven countries and a host of other internal insurgents. Although hostilities officially ended in 2003, the violence continues. In the past six years, 3.8 million people have died in the DRC due to the conflict and resulting disintegration of the social service infrastructure, making it the deadliest conflict since World War II. According to the United Nations Under-Secretary for Humanitarian Affairs and corroborated by a recent mortality study done in December by the International Rescue Committee (IRC), 31,000 people die each month in Congo - or 1,000 people per day - largely from preventable diseases and malnutrition.

The DRC is a graphic example of the larger social, economic, and human costs of conflict. Fighting in the eastern region, and particularly in the area of North Kivu and Ituri, has resulted in massive displacement of civilians, 150,000 in North Kivu alone, and displacement is the great killer in this tragedy. In addition, armed gropus continually use rape as a weapon of war, and the stigma associated with rape in the DRC, combined with the absence of a health care network, leave victims little recourse. As in many other wars on the continent, the bulk of the victims are women and children. Although the DRC remains at the top of any list of underreported crises in the world, the individual stories are heartbreaking and the larger social consequences devastating.

The recently revealed sex scandals involving the United Nations Organization Mission in the Democratic Republic of Congo (Monuc) only added to the DRC's suffering. Such behavior among peacekeepers cannot be tolerated. It would be a greater tragedy, however, if the result of these scandals was the withdrawal of these scandals was teh withdrawal of this mission rather than its reform. If elections are to succeed in the DRC, they will demand both an expanded international presence and a better trained and more thoroughly integrated Congolese defense force.

The Administration's sustained leadership and high-level attention in dealing with the North-South civil war in Sudan has galvanized the peace process for one of Africa's longest running conflicts, and is a model wherein both Congress and the Admininstration worked together to make progress in a seemingly intractable conflict. It is our belief that similar high-level engagement is the key to moving the DRC and its neighbors out of a troubled past and into a future characterized by greater regional stability. The Tripartite Commission represents an important initiative with the potential to promote such stability if it receives that kind of attention and commitment. We believe that a regional approach is key, given the cross-border dimensions of the DRC conflict, as is international assistance in creating the conditions under which elections can be held and social infrastructure re-established.

We look forward to hearing how you plan to elevate the level of U.S. leadership to address this important crisis, what your strategy is, and what Congress can do to assist U.S. efforts. With 1,000 deaths a day, we cannot allow this crisis to remain forgotten.

Very respectfully,

Sentor Mike DeWine (R - OH)

Sentaor Richard Durbin (D - IL)

Senator Sam Brownback (R - KS)

Senator Patrick Leahy (D - VT)

Senator John McCain (R - AZ)

Senator John Corzine (D - NJ)

Senator Thomas Carper (D - DE)

Senator Barack Obama (D - IL)

Senator Carl Levin (D - MI)

Senator Frank Lautenberg (D - NJ)

Senator Barbara Mikulski (D - MD)

Senator Jeff Bingaman (D - NM)

Senator Mel Martinez (R - FL)

Senator Tom Harkin (D - IA)

Senator Tim Johnson (D - SD)

Senator Rick Santorm (R - PA)

[Ugnet] Crisis in the Congo

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