The Democratic Republic of Congo has made significant progress since the start of the transition, but it is clear most of the underlying challenges facing the country remain unresolved and are a grave threat to any gains. In the latest in in its series of reports the APPG reviews key areas of concern and recommendations for urgent action almost two years after the 2006 elections. Among these challenges are the imminent threat of the unresolved conflict in the east, the lack of meaningful security sector reform, the slow progress on education and protection of children, the ongoing wave of violence against women, the need to improve democratic accountability and protection of human rights, and the problem of corruption and poor governance – particularly of natural resources.

The Congo is of critical significance to the future of Africa, and is the scene of human suffering on a scale unparalleled since the Second World War. The conflict has cost more than 5.4 million lives since 1998, mainly through disease, poor nutrition, and lack of healthcare: most of these are children under 5. This is a considerably worse disaster than the one affecting Darfur, but commands a fraction of the international attention. It demands concerted, long-term and effective engagement by the UK and the whole world.

Time is fast running out before the approach of the next election cycle, and perhaps disillusionment among the Congolese people, will make it more difficult to act. Both the Congolese government and its international partners face a difficult task, and their efforts so far have not been insignificant: Congo has its best chance in decades. But if greater progress is not made on the big underlying issues, there is a risk their investment will count for little.  

For a copy of the report, click here. 

This document is intended as a summary of key issues and recommendations arising from the Group's mission  to the DRC in April 2008, and related meetings and research. During the 5-day mission, three UK members of parliament (APPG Chair Eric Joyce, Judy Mallaber, and Jeremy Corbyn), visited north Kivu, a province heavily affected by conflict in the east of the country, and the capital of Kinshasa. They met with government ministers, the Presidents of the Senate and National Assembly and a wide range of Congolese parliamentarians, representatives of the belligerent parties in the Goma peace process, many international and Congolese civil society actors, diplomatic representatives from the UK and other countries, and MONUC and other agencies.  It is one part of the wider follow-up to the visit, and a fulfilment of the commitment made to those whom the delegation met that the mission would produce concrete outcomes. The report should not be taken to represent the views of other individual members of the APPG.

Members of the APPG visited Burundi and Rwanda to study developments in two countries of vital importance to the overall stability of the region, and to influence and encourage international engagement. The delegation, including MPs Russell Brown, Stephen Crabb, and David Drew, visited both countries and met with Presidents Nkurunziza and Kagame, as well as a wide range of ministers, officials, international organisations, civil society, and members of the public. Both countries call for engagement now – both political and material – to prevent a far more costly slide into instability or under-development in the future.

A full copy of the report in Word format (1.2MB) can be downloaded by clicking here.  A version without graphics (232KB) is available here. Among the report’s key themes:

• The need to engage: both humanitarian concerns and UK self-interest demand engagement with the region at the highest level. The UK should especially support the Burundian transition at a stage when post-conflict countries often falter, in particular by pressing for a final peace settlement, supporting improvement of the capacity and accountability of the Burundian government, and actively looking for opportunities for development engagement.

• Human rights and political space: Key issues for the UK relationship with both Burundi and Rwanda. The entirely justified scale of engagement must not detract from the UK raising issues of political space and human rights, critical in the longer term. 

• Violence against women and vulnerable groups: The need to react to the continued crisis of violence against women in the region, in particular through improvements to the rule of law and targeted aid programmes; also to target support for children and vulnerable groups like the BaTwa.

• The importance of justice: The need for effective transitional justice, in particular to in relation to the Muyinga, Gatumba and Titanic Express killings. In Rwanda the delegation also examined the progress of gacaca.   

• Development priorities: job creation is of particular importance given its link to insecurity; as are efforts to improve international coordination of aid and political engagement, particularly in key areas like security sector reform and reform of the judiciary.  

• Regional security: The need for the strongest UK engagement in support of regional security: with the Goma accords providing a window of opportunity, the need for all sides to act to resolve the long-standing insecurity in eastern DRC.

A total of 10 MPs and Peers took part in the APPG election monitoring missions to both the first and second rounds of the 2006 presidential, parliamentary and provincial elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

· The elections are only one element of democratic accountability. It is essential that the same dedication, concern, and international engagement be applied to all aspects of democratic governance. In particular, the UK should support the DRC parliament, civil society and justice system, and put in place capacity-building measures. 

· The enormous humanitarian and developmental challenge facing the country remains almost untouched after the transition. International engagement should strengthen rather than diminish under the new government. Similarly, there should be no over-hasty winding down of the MONUC mission.

· The especially vulnerable position of women and children, including street children 

The full report of the monitoring missions is available here.

 A summary meeting report, including 19 recommendations for action, is available here. Full minutes of the entire session are also available here. 

The APPG convened a meeting on December 6, 2006 to discuss the agenda for reform of the natural resource sector in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). One of the principle aims of the meeting was to contribute to the work of the United Nations Group of Experts by discussing suggestions for action raised in the course of their work so far and by making further proposals within a round-table forum. A wide cross-section of business, government, and NGO representatives took part, including participants from the DRC, UK and Belgian governments, mining, assaying, and security companies, governance consultants and experts, NGOs from the environmental, development, and human rights sectors, and UK parliamentarians.  

 A summary meeting report, including 19 recommendations for action, is available here. Full minutes of the entire session are also available here.

Since the launch of the UN panel structure on the illegal exploitation of natural resources in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, the APPG has undertaken a process of consultation and round-table meetings on issues of corporate social responsibility. Most recently, we have facilitated a major initiative to bring together businesses, experts and NGOs - including Anglo-American, De Beers, Standard Chartered, Human Rights Watch, and Amnesty International - in a Joint Working Group with the aim of exploring the scope for common ground on frameworks for business conduct in areas of conflict and weak governance.

Under the neutral Chairmanship of Lord Jonathan Mance QC, the result of this initiative has been a substantial joint statement on the OECD Guidelines mechanism. The statement has aleady had a substantial impact on the government's review of the implementation of the Guidelines in the UK. The review was itself initiated in response to the APPG's 2005 report on how the mechanism dealt with the cases arising from the UN Expert Panel investigations into the illegal exploitation of resources in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

To download a copy of the JWG statement, click here. The full terms of reference for the Working Group are also available here. 

Members of the APPG visited the Democratic Republic of Congo in advance of the elections to inform itself of developments in the country, show support for the transition process at a crucial point in the history of the country, and to raise awareness of the devastating humanitarian disaster resulting from one of the world’s deadliest conflicts.  

This report provides a snap-shot of a country in transition between war and peace. Aside from the general humanitarian crisis, two issues stood out above all others: the lack of security underlying many of the problems the country faces, and the horrifying sexual violence towards women. But if there was one message the APPG brought back from its visit, it was that the depth of the problems in the country should be a call to action rather than a cause for withdrawal. Action now, when the transition process offers the best chance in many years for the Congo to return to something approaching normality.

For the full version of the report (1.69MB) click here.

For an easier-to-download, low graphics version of the report (274KB), click here.