Africa Action: Activism for Africa Since 1953
Congo Campaign: Resources for the People, Talking Points
Africa Action’s Congo Campaign: Resources for the People focuses on reforming U.S. foreign policy, diplomatic and military engagement, and trade and business practices in and towards the Congo to help support processes to bring about peace, justice, political stability, and environmentally responsible and sustainable economic recovery.
Supporting Peace
The conflict in Eastern Congo which is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today must end, and justice should be brought to bear on those responsible for perpetuating the conflict and killing, torturing, and raping of civilians. To achieve this aim Africa Action supports U.S. diplomatic engagement through a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region and the State Department with the Congolese government and Regional Government including especially Rwanda and Uganda.
The diplomatic engagement should support an inclusive peace process to end the armed conflict in the Eastern Congo, and a parallel peace process should be started to address the regional threat of the LRA who are currently active in the North Eastern Congo. In order to truly support democracy and peace in Congo and the Great Lakes region U.S. engagement should also hold responsible those governments, companies, armed rebel groups and individuals who have committed crimes against humanity, war crimes, and who are profiteering from the illegal export of so called conflict minerals from the Congo.
Currently the U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM is engaged in military training of soldiers outside Kisangani in Congo. While security sector reform is important for the Congolese military to build capacity and to try and reduce the amount of corruption and criminal activity in the military, a military approach alone will not stop the conflict or bring about a lasting peace. Africa Action believes military engagement with the Congo should be a secondary or even tertiary initiative behind supporting a multilateral peace process and legal system capacity building.
Debt Cancellation
The Congo has a debt burden of over $5 billion most of this debt was incurred during the corrupt regime of Mobutu Sese Seko, or through development projects which have never benefited the Congolese people. In the Congo today, the actual standard of living is lower for the average Congolese citizen than at Independence in 1960. Servicing the odious debt siphons money away from critically needed investment in social services, infrastructure, and development. The U.S. should support full cancellation of the illegitimate debt of the Congo, through both the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative lead by the World Bank Group, and the “Paris Club” of Investors. In addition the U.S. should support legislative and international legal efforts to stop vulture funds from profiteering off the debt of the Congo through loopholes in U.S. legal system.
U.S. Business Interests
There are many U.S. businesses that work in the Congo. Many of these companies especially in the logging and extractive industries, are operating in ways that contravene regulation in the Congo, and do not benefit the Congolese people to whom the resources truly belong. There have also been allegations of corruption in business dealings and bribery between U.S. businesses and the Congolese government.
The U.S. should support fair and legal business practices for U.S Companies operating in the Congo through support of transparency and publishing of payments legislation enforcement, international transparency initiatives such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and stronger enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Additionally the U.S. should more carefully evaluate government support for businesses abroad such as through the Oversees Private Investment Company, State Department funding, and government contractors.
Conservation
The Congo has the world’s second largest rainforest and the world’s second largest river in terms of water volume. Both of these ecosystems play a key role in regulating global weather systems and are vital to the fight against global climate change and preserving the rainforest is crucial to lowering global carbon emissions. Both of these ecosystems are under threat by business interests, and unsustainable development. The U.S. should support community driven sustainable development in the Congo. In addition the U.S. government should acknowledge that the developing world and Congo in particular will need to be adequately supported and compensated for preserving ecosystems that the developed world will need to fight global climate change.
Particularly in the Congo the U.S. should provide whatever support is necessary to adequately compensate communities who live in and near the rainforest and rely on the rainforest resources for partaking in sustainable use practices, and support the Congolese governments efforts to reform the logging sector and curb the export of timber illegally.
Also the Inga Dam projects in the Congo river pose threats to the river ecosystem itself and the communities that rely on the river for their livelihoods. The U.S should not support Inga Dam projects that will be environmentally damaging in the Congo and will not benefit the Congolese people.
IFI Investment in Congo
Historically many of the World Bank backed investment projects in the Congo have lead to an increased and unsustainable debt burden with no tangible benefits for the Congolese government or the Congolese people. The U.S. should use its voting power within the World Bank, and financial support of the World Bank to ensure that new investment in the Congo prioritizes projects that are economically beneficial and environmentally responsible and that are aimed at alleviating poverty directly, instead of benefiting industry before people.
Africa Action’s Congo Campaign: Resources for the People focuses on reforming U.S. foreign policy, diplomatic and military engagement, and trade and business practices in and towards the Congo to help support processes to bring about peace, justice, political stability, and environmentally responsible and sustainable economic recovery.
Supporting Peace
The conflict in Eastern Congo which is one of the worst humanitarian crises in the world today must end, and justice should be brought to bear on those responsible for perpetuating the conflict and killing, torturing, and raping of civilians. To achieve this aim Africa Action supports U.S. diplomatic engagement through a Special Envoy to the Great Lakes region and the State Department with the Congolese government and Regional Government including especially Rwanda and Uganda.
The diplomatic engagement should support an inclusive peace process to end the armed conflict in the Eastern Congo, and a parallel peace process should be started to address the regional threat of the LRA who are currently active in the North Eastern Congo. In order to truly support democracy and peace in Congo and the Great Lakes region U.S. engagement should also hold responsible those governments, companies, armed rebel groups and individuals who have committed crimes against humanity, war crimes, and who are profiteering from the illegal export of so called conflict minerals from the Congo.
Currently the U.S. Africa Command, or AFRICOM is engaged in military training of soldiers outside Kisangani in Congo. While security sector reform is important for the Congolese military to build capacity and to try and reduce the amount of corruption and criminal activity in the military, a military approach alone will not stop the conflict or bring about a lasting peace. Africa Action believes military engagement with the Congo should be a secondary or even tertiary initiative behind supporting a multilateral peace process and legal system capacity building.
Debt Cancellation
The Congo has a debt burden of over $5 billion most of this debt was incurred during the corrupt regime of Mobutu Sese Seko, or through development projects which have never benefited the Congolese people. In the Congo today, the actual standard of living is lower for the average Congolese citizen than at Independence in 1960. Servicing the odious debt siphons money away from critically needed investment in social services, infrastructure, and development. The U.S. should support full cancellation of the illegitimate debt of the Congo, through both the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative lead by the World Bank Group, and the “Paris Club” of Investors. In addition the U.S. should support legislative and international legal efforts to stop vulture funds from profiteering off the debt of the Congo through loopholes in U.S. legal system.
U.S. Business Interests
There are many U.S. businesses that work in the Congo. Many of these companies especially in the logging and extractive industries, are operating in ways that contravene regulation in the Congo, and do not benefit the Congolese people to whom the resources truly belong. There have also been allegations of corruption in business dealings and bribery between U.S. businesses and the Congolese government.
The U.S. should support fair and legal business practices for U.S Companies operating in the Congo through support of transparency and publishing of payments legislation enforcement, international transparency initiatives such as the Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, and stronger enforcement of the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act. Additionally the U.S. should more carefully evaluate government support for businesses abroad such as through the Oversees Private Investment Company, State Department funding, and government contractors.
Conservation
The Congo has the world’s second largest rainforest and the world’s second largest river in terms of water volume. Both of these ecosystems play a key role in regulating global weather systems and are vital to the fight against global climate change and preserving the rainforest is crucial to lowering global carbon emissions. Both of these ecosystems are under threat by business interests, and unsustainable development. The U.S. should support community driven sustainable development in the Congo. In addition the U.S. government should acknowledge that the developing world and Congo in particular will need to be adequately supported and compensated for preserving ecosystems that the developed world will need to fight global climate change.
Particularly in the Congo the U.S. should provide whatever support is necessary to adequately compensate communities who live in and near the rainforest and rely on the rainforest resources for partaking in sustainable use practices, and support the Congolese governments efforts to reform the logging sector and curb the export of timber illegally.
Also the Inga Dam projects in the Congo river pose threats to the river ecosystem itself and the communities that rely on the river for their livelihoods. The U.S should not support Inga Dam projects that will be environmentally damaging in the Congo and will not benefit the Congolese people.
IFI Investment in Congo
Historically many of the World Bank backed investment projects in the Congo have lead to an increased and unsustainable debt burden with no tangible benefits for the Congolese government or the Congolese people. The U.S. should use its voting power within the World Bank, and financial support of the World Bank to ensure that new investment in the Congo prioritizes projects that are economically beneficial and environmentally responsible and that are aimed at alleviating poverty directly, instead of benefiting industry before people.
