An Urgent Call to Action
The Congo is at a tipping point. Important progress has been achieved and the country has come a long way since the end of nation-wide conflict in 2002. However, with the 2011-2013 election period approaching, the Congo can either jump into the future or everything could unravel.
The ECI, in recognizing both the progress made, as well as the challenges that lie ahead, commissioned the Strengthening United States Foreign Policy in the Democratic Republic of the Congo White Paper to go beyond the symptoms of instability—gender-based atrocities, child soldiers, widespread poverty and the illegal exploitation of natural resources—to address the root causes, the cycles of violence, which give rise to these tragic consequences.
By focusing on these structural causes and re-prioritizing international assistance, this White Paper puts forth a roadmap for U.S. policy: nine
specific recommendations centered on stabilization and security in the Congo, crucial as well to stabilization in the region.
Taking in account a number of windows of opportunity that exist at the regional, national and international levels, these recommendations, if acted upon now, will have a maximizing effect in creating a stable environment conducive to Congo’s transition to peace, development and democracy.
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This paper outlines nine objectives for critical support and empowered U.S. leadership.
The first five address the urgent need for security and stabilization in the region:
- Facilitate renewed political engagement
- Support a multi-dimensional strategy to protect civilians, by:
- Strengthening security forces
- Neutralizing and dismantling remaining foreign and Congolese armed groups
- Support GDRC reforms, including the 2011 and 2013 elections
- Support the GDRC in regulating the trade in natural resources and ensuring deployment of justice and administrative services
- Support IDP and refugee returns and encourage socioeconomic recovery
The additional four topics focus on coordinating U.S. leadership to catalyze a broadened international engagement:
- Reappoint a US Special Advisor for the Great Lakes Region
- Encourage a regional response to the crisis
- Support and complement multilateral efforts
- Engage the US advocacy community