Congressman Carson Reintroduces Resolution Condemning Violence in DRC

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman André Carson (IN-07) has reintroduced a resolution condemning the violence perpetuated against ethnic minorities in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).

Human rights organizations and advocacy groups have documented concerning acts of violence performed by members of the Armed Forces of the DRC and militias against ethnic minorities that may meet one or more criteria for genocide under Article II of the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. Targets are primarily Rwandophone communities, or those whose mother tongue is Kinyarwanda. Armed groups and often abusive security forces continue to carry out massacres, abductions, rape and sexual violence, recruitment of children, and other attacks on civilians.

“Individuals fleeing violence from the Democratic Republic of the Congo make up one of Indiana’s largest refugee populations,” said Congressman Carson. “The U.S. has strategic interest in this region, but we also have a moral obligation to stand up to human rights abuses whenever and wherever they occur. I remain concerned that the situation in the DRC has not received the international attention it merits for such grave acts of violence. I invite all my colleagues to join me in this resolution and hold perpetrators accountable.”

"The violence and hate speech against ethnic minorities in DR Congo is a chronically neglected minority rights crisis that has occurred in a context of normalized violence affecting many communities,” said Tom Shacklock, Director of Research for the Crane Center for Mass Atrocity Prevention. “This resolution sends a message to the victims and perpetrators that they have been seen, and we hope it will inform meaningful, inclusive solutions that complement the existing U.S.-led DRC-Rwanda peace agreement."

The full resolution text can be found here. 

Included in the resolution are calls for: 

• social media companies to curb hate speech and incitement to violence on their platforms
• immediate action by the government of the DRC, including humanitarian assistance and to hold all state security forces that perpetuate atrocities against the civilian population accountable
• the Secretary of State to investigate atrocities and coordinate with stakeholders
• the president to appoint a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region of Africa, impose targeted sanctions against known human rights abusers in the DRC, and protect those fleeing ethnic-based violence in the DRC, including designating Rwandophones for Priority 2 access to the U.S. Refugee Admissions Program

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