APPG chair Eric Joyce MP said: “This crisis is a grave threat to the progress that has been made in years of efforts to end the deadliest conflict of modern times, and could greatly damage the credibility of the UN and of the international community. We need urgent action to support MONUC in its immediate task – and then to finally make progress with ending the underlying conflict in eastern Congo.”

L’APPG a visité le Burundi et le Rwanda lors de sa mission sur terrain de 2007. Le présent rapport couvre la partie de la mission relative au Burundi (un rapport sur toute la mission est disponible sur notre site). A l’instar du Rwanda, le Burundi est un pays post-conflit dont l’avenir est crucial au reste de la région des Grands Lacs. En effet, de récents événements– notamment l’instabilité actuelle à l’Est du Congo – continuent à mettre en exergue le danger réel et présent d’un regain de violence dans la région ainsi que le caractère inter-lié de la menace. Ces événements soulignent aussi le besoin évident d’un engagement immédiat – tant politique que matériel – afin de prévenir une dérive bien plus dangereuse vers le conflit et le sous-développement à l’avenir.

Le peuple burundais et à leurs leaders doivent etre félicités pour la transformation remarquable intervenue dans le pays au cours de dernières années, transformation qui a grandement aidé à transcender les conflits ethniques du passé. Cependant, le pays est désespérément pauvre et se trouve à une étape où il y a un risque de regain de violence qui pourrait sérieusement affecter la région tout entière. Les bailleurs doivent  honorer leur engagement et s’assurer qu’ils travaillent en coordination les uns avec les autres aussi bien qu’avec le gouvernement et la société civile. Dans le court terme, la préoccupation primordiale consiste en la conclusion d’un accord de paix définitif avec le Palipehutu-FNL. Mais il subsiste des questions importantes pour le long terme, dont la plupart portant sur la mise sur pied des éléments constitutifs d’un état fonctionnel et responsable.

Pour voir le rapport, cliquez ici.

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.

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 bottom-line conclusion of both missions was that in the areas where the APPG was present the election process was fundamentally sound. There were concerns over a number of procedural issues in the July ballot especially, but these concerns were relatively minor with the exception of a number of organisational issues with the compilation centres in the first round, and these were such that they would have been serious above all if it became necessary to reconstruct individual results from poorly-archived ballot papers. Overall, the observers were deeply struck by the dedication of voters and election staff and the concern shown for the proper conduct of the vote. The APPG congratulates the Congolese people on a remarkable and historic achievement.   During both monitoring missions the APPG had a substantial number of meetings and site visits outside of the election process. Among the most important issues raised were:

· 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 importance of disarmament and security sector reform. · The need to improve governance and tackle corruption, especially in relation to natural resources (including both minerals and the Congo basin forests). Foreign investment must be encouraged, but it must benefit the Congolese people.

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

The full report of the monitoring missions is 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.

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.