{ "id": "R43166", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "R", "number": "R43166", "active": true, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov, EveryCRSReport.com, University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "versions": [ { "source_dir": "crsreports.congress.gov", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "retrieved": "2022-03-28T04:02:46.592771", "id": "R43166_45_2022-03-25", "formats": [ { "filename": "files/2022-03-25_R43166_8f90645244ea5367f4d0b0dfdda0952a0b75a8e0.pdf", "format": "PDF", "url": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/pdf/R/R43166/45", "sha1": "8f90645244ea5367f4d0b0dfdda0952a0b75a8e0" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/2022-03-25_R43166_8f90645244ea5367f4d0b0dfdda0952a0b75a8e0.html" } ], "date": "2022-03-25", "summary": null, "source": "CRSReports.Congress.gov", "typeId": "R", "active": true, "sourceLink": "https://crsreports.congress.gov/product/details?prodcode=R43166", "type": "CRS Report" }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 597690, "date": "2019-04-30", "retrieved": "2019-05-03T14:11:59.452453", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "The United States and other donors have focused substantial resources on stabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the early 2000s, when \u201cAfrica\u2019s World War\u201d\u2014a conflict that drew in multiple neighboring countries and reportedly caused millions of deaths\u2014drew to a close. DRC hosts the world\u2019s largest U.N. peacekeeping operation and is a major recipient of donor aid. Conflict has nonetheless persisted in eastern DRC, prolonging instability and an enduring humanitarian crisis in Africa\u2019s Great Lakes region. New unrest erupted as elections were repeatedly delayed past 2016, their scheduled date, leaving widely unpopular President Joseph Kabila in office. Security forces brutally cracked down on protests, while new conflicts emerged in previously stable regions, possibly fueled by political interference. An ongoing Ebola outbreak in the east has added to DRC\u2019s challenges. In April 2019, the Islamic State organization claimed responsibility for an attack on local soldiers in the Ebola-affected area, an apparent effort to rebrand a local armed group known as the Allied Democratic Forces.\nNational elections were ultimately held on December 30, 2018, following intense domestic and regional pressure. Opposition figure Felix Tshisekedi unexpectedly won the presidential contest, though his ability to assert a popular mandate may be undermined by allegations that the official results were rigged to deny victory to a more hardline opposition rival. Many Congolese nonetheless reacted to the outcome with relief and/or enthusiasm, noting that Kabila would step down and that voters had soundly defeated his stated choice of successor, a former Interior Minister. Kabila\u2019s coalition nonetheless won sweeping majorities in simultaneous legislative and provincial-level elections, ensuring enduring influence for the former president and his supporters. Whether President Tshisekedi will make durable progress toward spurring inclusive economic growth, reforming state institutions, or ending security force abuses remains to be seen.\nThe Trump and Obama Administrations expended significant efforts to encourage an electoral transfer of power in DRC, that is, \u201ccredible\u201d elections in which Kabila was not a candidate. U.S. officials have welcomed Tshisekedi\u2019s election and pledged to work with him, but they also imposed sanctions against top election officials in the aftermath of the polls, citing corruption in the electoral process. The Trump Administration has more broadly maintained a high-level focus on human rights and governance in DRC, expanding a U.S. unilateral sanctions regime targeting high-level security commanders and appointing regional specialist J. Peter Pham as Special Envoy in 2018. U.S. diplomats have also called on DRC authorities to credibly prosecute the murder in 2017 of two U.N. sanctions investigators, one of whom was a U.S. citizen. The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in DRC and the largest financial contributor to the U.N. peacekeeping operation, MONUSCO, though the Administration has advocated broad cuts to U.S. peacekeeping funding and secured a decrease in MONUSCO\u2019s troop level in 2017. U.S. bilateral aid to DRC totaled $375 million in FY2018, higher than in previous years. \nCongress has shaped U.S. policy toward DRC, often focusing on human rights and democracy. Recent foreign aid appropriations measures have directed bilateral economic assistance for DRC. In the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 6207, which would have codified Executive Orders authorizing U.S. targeted sanctions, while the Senate agreed to S.Res. 386, urging the U.S. President to \u201cdeter further electoral calendar slippage and abuses against the people of Congo.\u201d For more than a decade, Congress has also sought to deter Rwandan and Ugandan proxy involvement in DRC, including via provisions in aid appropriations legislation. Laws restricting U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, have poor records on curtailing the use of child soldiers or human trafficking have also shaped U.S. engagement and aid. See also CRS In Focus IF11100, Ebola Outbreak: Democratic Republic of Congo; CRS Report R44402, Rwanda: In Brief; and CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "76bd53b634b3dc506a395e0fd17152744d257b87", "filename": "files/20190430_R43166_76bd53b634b3dc506a395e0fd17152744d257b87.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43166_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190430_R43166_images_c7cb1ea6cc50ac26c33e44e8dc3e14661b66e2f4.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "69de8804e2c08b5871f21b47ca541313e1be6cbe", "filename": "files/20190430_R43166_69de8804e2c08b5871f21b47ca541313e1be6cbe.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 595748, "date": "2019-04-03", "retrieved": "2019-04-17T13:48:05.323948", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "The United States and other donors have focused substantial resources on stabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the early 2000s, when \u201cAfrica\u2019s World War\u201d\u2014a conflict that drew in multiple neighboring countries and reportedly caused millions of deaths\u2014drew to a close. DRC hosts the world\u2019s largest U.N. peacekeeping operation and is a major recipient of donor aid. Conflict has nonetheless persisted in eastern DRC, prolonging instability and an enduring humanitarian crisis in Africa\u2019s Great Lakes region. New unrest erupted as elections were repeatedly delayed past 2016, their scheduled date, leaving widely unpopular President Joseph Kabila in office. Security forces brutally cracked down on protests, while new conflicts emerged in the central Kasai and southeastern Tanganyika regions, possibly fueled by political interference. An Ebola outbreak in the east has added to DRC\u2019s challenges.\nFollowing intense regional and international pressure, national elections were ultimately held on December 30, 2018. An opposition figure, Felix Tshisekedi, unexpectedly won the presidency, though his ability to assert a popular mandate may be undermined by election irregularities and allegations of fraud. Notably, leaked data and a parallel vote tabulation overseen by DRC\u2019s Catholic bishops reportedly suggested that a rival and more hardline opposition candidate in fact had won more votes. Many Congolese nonetheless reacted to the official results with relief and/or enthusiasm, noting that Kabila would step down and that voters had soundly defeated his choice of successor, a former Interior Minister. At the same time, Kabila\u2019s coalition won sweeping majorities in simultaneous legislative and provincial-level elections. Many observers have posited that the official results reflect a power-sharing deal between Tshisekedi and Kabila. Whether President Tshisekedi will make durable progress toward spurring inclusive economic growth, reforming state institutions, or ending security force abuses remains to be seen.\nThe Trump and Obama Administrations expended significant efforts to encourage an electoral transfer of power in DRC, i.e., \u201ccredible\u201d elections in which Kabila was not a candidate. U.S. officials welcomed Tshisekedi\u2019s election and have pledged to work with him, but in the aftermath of the polls they have also imposed sanctions against top election officials, citing corruption in the electoral process. The Trump Administration has more broadly maintained a high-level focus on human rights and governance in DRC, expanding a U.S. unilateral sanctions regime targeting high-level security commanders and appointing regional specialist J. Peter Pham as Special Envoy in 2018. U.S. diplomats have also called on DRC authorities to credibly prosecute the murder in 2017 of two U.N. sanctions investigators, including a U.S. citizen. The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in DRC and the largest financial contributor to the U.N. peacekeeping operation, MONUSCO, though the Administration has advocated broad cuts to U.S. peacekeeping funding and secured a decrease in MONUSCO\u2019s troop level in 2017. U.S. bilateral aid to DRC totaled $375 million in FY2018, higher than in previous years. \nCongress has shaped U.S. policy toward DRC, often focusing on human rights and democracy. Recent foreign aid appropriations measures have directed bilateral economic assistance for DRC. In the 115th Congress, the House passed H.R. 6207, which, among other measures, would have codified the Executive Orders authorizing U.S. targeted sanctions. The Senate agreed to S.Res. 386, urging the U.S. President to \u201cdeter further electoral calendar slippage and abuses against the people of Congo.\u201d For the past decade, Congress has also sought to deter Rwandan and Ugandan proxy involvement in DRC via provisions in aid appropriations legislation. Laws restricting U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, have poor records on curtailing the use of child soldiers or human trafficking have also shaped U.S. engagement and aid. See also CRS In Focus IF11100, Ebola Outbreak: Democratic Republic of Congo; CRS Report R44402, Rwanda: In Brief; and CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "08dfd5972387dfdc89f7539dc1cf35be00a9db65", "filename": "files/20190403_R43166_08dfd5972387dfdc89f7539dc1cf35be00a9db65.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43166_files&id=/0.png": "files/20190403_R43166_images_c7cb1ea6cc50ac26c33e44e8dc3e14661b66e2f4.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "https://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "585d1434feeb4823590e14122c1aaae3b5bd19d9", "filename": "files/20190403_R43166_585d1434feeb4823590e14122c1aaae3b5bd19d9.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 584014, "date": "2018-08-23", "retrieved": "2018-08-27T15:04:10.872216", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "The United States and other donors have focused substantial resources on stabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the early 2000s, when \u201cAfrica\u2019s World War\u201d\u2014a conflict in DRC that drew in multiple neighboring countries and reportedly caused millions of deaths\u2014drew to a close. Smaller-scale insurgencies have nonetheless persisted in DRC\u2019s densely inhabited, mineral-rich eastern provinces, causing regional instability and a long-running humanitarian crisis. In recent years, political uncertainty at the national level has sparked new unrest. Elections due in 2016 have been delayed repeatedly, leaving President Joseph Kabila\u2014who is widely unpopular\u2014in office well past the end of his second elected five-year term. State security forces have brutally cracked down on anti-Kabila street protests. Armed conflicts have worsened in the east, while new crises have emerged in previously stable areas such as the central Kasai region and southeastern Tanganyika province. Two Ebola virus outbreaks in 2018 have added to the country\u2019s humanitarian challenges, although one was contained as of mid-year.\nPresidential, parliamentary, and provincial elections are currently scheduled for December 23, 2018. U.S. diplomatic engagement has focused on encouraging an electoral transfer of power\u2014that is, a \u201ccredible\u201d contest in which Kabila is not a candidate. In August 2018, Kabila surprised many observers by backing a loyal associate as his chosen successor, suggesting he will not attempt a bid for an arguably unconstitutional third term. Observers continue to point to evidence of political interference and other irregularities in the election process, however. \nMore broadly, the Trump Administration has maintained a high-level concern with human rights abuses and governance in DRC. It has also altered the U.S. approach in some ways by eliminating a senior Special Envoy position created under the Obama Administration and securing a reduction in the U.N. peacekeeping operation in DRC (MONUSCO) in 2017. The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in DRC and the largest financial contributor to MONUSCO. U.S. bilateral aid to DRC totaled $362 million in FY2017, higher than previous years. The Administration has expanded a policy, initiated in 2016, of sanctioning prominent DRC security officials in an effort to deter human rights abuses and obstruction of the election process. It has also sanctioned allegedly corrupt businessmen close to Kabila and barred certain \u201csenior DRC officials\u201d from entering the United States. U.S. officials have assailed the DRC government over its failure to enable a credible investigation into the murder of two U.N. sanctions investigators\u2014one of them a U.S. citizen\u2014who were probing human rights abuses in Kasai in 2017. \nCongress has shaped U.S. policy toward DRC through legislation and oversight, often focusing on human rights and democracy issues. H.R. 6207, introduced in the House in June 2018, would codify existing U.S. DRC sanctions regimes imposed via executive orders, and could compel additional designations. In the Senate, S.Res. 386 urges the President to \u201cuse appropriate means ... to deter further electoral calendar slippage and abuses against the people of Congo.\u201d In the 114th Congress, the House and Senate respectively passed H.Res. 780 and S.Res. 485, which contained similar provisions. Congress has also sought to deter Rwandan and Ugandan proxy involvement in DRC\u2019s conflicts via provisions in foreign aid appropriations legislation, most recently by restricting International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds for any government in Africa\u2019s Great Lakes region unless the Secretary of State reports that it is not \u201cfacilitating or otherwise participating in destabilizing activities in a neighboring country\u201d (P.L. 115-141). Laws restricting U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, use child soldiers or have poor records on combating human trafficking have also shaped U.S.-DRC relations and policy.\nSee also CRS Report R44402, Rwanda: In Brief; CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "6d9d56c560586a6eae7afc29f563df0e30efeeed", "filename": "files/20180823_R43166_6d9d56c560586a6eae7afc29f563df0e30efeeed.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43166_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180823_R43166_images_c7cb1ea6cc50ac26c33e44e8dc3e14661b66e2f4.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "f44ecadf6c1783b1885ac934863be7380a500d0e", "filename": "files/20180823_R43166_f44ecadf6c1783b1885ac934863be7380a500d0e.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 583945, "date": "2018-08-22", "retrieved": "2018-08-23T13:06:56.488998", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "The United States and other donors have focused substantial resources on stabilizing the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) since the early 2000s, when \u201cAfrica\u2019s World War\u201d\u2014a conflict in DRC that drew in multiple neighboring countries and reportedly caused millions of deaths\u2014drew to a close. Smaller-scale insurgencies have nonetheless persisted in DRC\u2019s densely-inhabited, mineral-rich eastern provinces, causing regional instability and a long-running humanitarian crisis. In recent years, political uncertainty at the national level has sparked new unrest. Elections due in 2016 have been delayed repeatedly, leaving President Joseph Kabila\u2014who is widely unpopular\u2014in office well past the end of his second elected five-year term. State security forces have brutally cracked down on anti-Kabila street protests. Armed conflicts have worsened in the east, while new crises have emerged in previously stable areas such as the central Kasai region and southeastern Tanganyika province. Two Ebola virus outbreaks in 2018 have added to the country\u2019s humanitarian challenges, although one was contained as of mid-year.\nPresidential and parliamentary elections are currently scheduled for December 23, 2018. U.S. diplomatic engagement has focused on encouraging an electoral transfer of power\u2014i.e., a \u201ccredible\u201d contest in which Kabila is not a candidate. In August 2018, Kabila surprised many observers by backing a loyal associate as his chosen successor, suggesting he will not attempt a bid for an arguably unconstitutional third term. Observers continue to point to evidence of political interference and other irregularities in the election process, however. \nMore broadly, the Trump Administration has maintained a high-level concern with human rights abuses and governance in DRC. It has also altered the U.S. approach in some ways by eliminating a senior Special Envoy position created under the Obama Administration and securing a reduction in the U.N. peacekeeping operation in DRC (MONUSCO) in 2017. The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in DRC and the largest financial contributor to MONUSCO. U.S. bilateral aid to DRC totaled $362 million in FY2017, higher than previous years. The Administration has expanded a policy, initiated in 2016, of sanctioning prominent DRC security officials in an effort to deter human rights abuses and obstruction of the election process. It has also sanctioned allegedly corrupt businessmen close to Kabila and barred certain \u201csenior DRC officials\u201d from entering the United States. U.S. officials have assailed the DRC government over its failure to enable a credible investigation into the murder of two U.N. sanctions investigators\u2014one of them a U.S. citizen\u2014who were probing human rights abuses in Kasai in 2017. \nCongress has shaped U.S. policy toward DRC through legislation and oversight, often focusing on human rights and democracy issues. H.R. 6207, introduced in the House in June 2018, would codify existing U.S. DRC sanctions regimes imposed via executive orders, and could compel additional designations. In the Senate, S.Res. 386 urges the President to \u201cuse appropriate means... to deter further electoral calendar slippage and abuses against the people of Congo.\u201d In the 114th Congress, the House and Senate respectively passed H.Res. 780 and S.Res. 485, which contained similar provisions. Congress has also sought to deter Rwandan and Ugandan proxy involvement in DRC\u2019s conflicts via provisions in foreign aid appropriations legislation, most recently by restricting International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds for any government in Africa\u2019s Great Lakes region unless the Secretary of State reports that it is not \u201cfacilitating or otherwise participating in destabilizing activities in a neighboring country\u201d (P.L. 115-141). Laws restricting U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, use child soldiers or have poor records on combating human trafficking have also shaped U.S.-DRC relations and policy.\nSee also CRS Report R44402, Rwanda: In Brief; CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "314b408a1661fb54520ec612f64429010eea306f", "filename": "files/20180822_R43166_314b408a1661fb54520ec612f64429010eea306f.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43166_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180822_R43166_images_c7cb1ea6cc50ac26c33e44e8dc3e14661b66e2f4.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "8d2c0f4f96f5a34492e494804a83b817eaf0e36d", "filename": "files/20180822_R43166_8d2c0f4f96f5a34492e494804a83b817eaf0e36d.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 582799, "date": "2018-07-05", "retrieved": "2018-07-13T13:05:56.869643", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Since the 2003 conclusion of \u201cAfrica\u2019s World War\u201d\u2014a conflict in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) that drew in neighboring countries and reportedly caused millions of deaths\u2014the United States and other donors have focused substantial resources on stabilizing the country. Smaller-scale insurgencies have nonetheless persisted in DRC\u2019s densely-inhabited, mineral-rich eastern provinces, causing regional instability and a long-running humanitarian crisis. In recent years, political uncertainty at the national level has sparked new unrest. Elections due in 2016 have been repeatedly delayed, leaving President Joseph Kabila\u2014who is widely unpopular\u2014in office well past the end of his second five-year term. State security forces have brutally cracked down on anti-Kabila street protests. Armed conflicts have worsened in the east, while new crises have emerged in previously stable areas such as the central Kasai region and southeastern Tanganyika province. An Ebola outbreak in early 2018 added to the country\u2019s humanitarian challenges, although it appears likely to be contained. \nThe Trump Administration has maintained a high-level concern with human rights abuses and elections in DRC. It has simultaneously altered the U.S. approach in some ways by eliminating a senior Special Envoy position created under the Obama Administration and securing a reduction in the U.N. peacekeeping operation in DRC (MONUSCO). The United States remains the largest humanitarian donor in DRC and the largest financial contributor to MONUSCO. U.S. bilateral aid to DRC totaled $362 million in FY2017, higher than previous years.\nU.S. diplomatic engagement is currently focused on encouraging an electoral transfer of power\u2014i.e., credible elections in which Kabila is not a candidate. The U.S. Permanent Representative to the U.N., Ambassador Nikki Haley, has taken a lead role, successfully calling for the release of an electoral calendar during a visit to Kinshasa in October 2017. The Administration has expanded a policy, initiated in 2016, of sanctioning prominent DRC security officials in an effort to deter human rights abuses and obstruction of the election process. It has also sanctioned allegedly corrupt businessmen close to Kabila and barred unnamed \u201csenior DRC officials\u201d from entering the United States. The Administration has not publicly outlined what steps it may take if elections are delayed past the current scheduled date of December 23, 2018; if Kabila runs for reelection; or if results are not credible. U.S. officials have separately assailed the DRC government over its failure to enable a credible investigation into the murder of two U.N. sanctions investigators\u2014one of them a U.S. citizen\u2014who were probing human rights abuses in Kasai in 2017. \nCongress has shaped U.S. policy toward DRC through legislation and oversight, often focusing on human rights and democracy issues. H.R. 6207, introduced in the House in June 2018, would codify existing U.S. DRC sanctions regimes imposed via executive orders, and could compel additional designations. In the Senate, S.Res. 386 would urge the President to \u201cuse appropriate means... to deter further electoral calendar slippage and abuses against the people of Congo.\u201d In the 114th Congress, the House and Senate respectively passed H.Res. 780 and S.Res. 485, which contained similar provisions. Congress has also sought to deter Rwandan and Ugandan proxy involvement in DRC\u2019s conflicts via foreign aid appropriations legislation, most recently by restricting International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds for any government in Africa\u2019s Great Lakes region unless the Secretary of State reports that it is not \u201cfacilitating or otherwise participating in destabilizing activities in a neighboring country\u201d (P.L. 115-141). Laws restricting U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, use child soldiers or have poor records on combating human trafficking have also shaped U.S.-DRC relations and policy.\nSee also CRS Report R44402, Rwanda: In Brief; CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "c797b6a1863431ec3c0f7fa03454990fa3c312f3", "filename": "files/20180705_R43166_c797b6a1863431ec3c0f7fa03454990fa3c312f3.html", "images": { "/products/Getimages/?directory=R/html/R43166_files&id=/0.png": "files/20180705_R43166_images_c7cb1ea6cc50ac26c33e44e8dc3e14661b66e2f4.png" } }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "ca40e129f886a7bced40e5407913cba702797b62", "filename": "files/20180705_R43166_ca40e129f886a7bced40e5407913cba702797b62.pdf", "images": {} } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 459263, "date": "2017-02-27", "retrieved": "2017-03-09T17:50:48.589666", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "War and humanitarian suffering in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) have long preoccupied U.S. policymakers, including many Members of Congress. Since the 1990s, cyclical conflicts in eastern DRC have caused regional instability and impeded investment, becoming the focus of international attention toward the country. Since 2015, attention has turned toward DRC\u2019s political trajectory as President Joseph Kabila\u2019s efforts to remain in office past the end of his second elected term in 2016 (his last, under the constitution) have sparked unrest. Unable for now to amend constitutional term limits as other regional leaders have done, Congolese officials have delayed elections on various grounds, asserting that Kabila must remain in power in the meantime. In December 2016, under significant domestic and international pressure (including from the United States), the ruling party and opposition agreed to form a unity government and hold elections in 2017. However, the details and feasibility of implementation are in question. DRC has never experienced an electoral transfer of power between presidential administrations.\nIn the east, political elites have displayed limited capacity or will to improve security and state administration, while neighboring states have periodically provided support to DRC-based rebel groups. In 2013, DRC and neighboring states agreed to a regional peace framework, and later that year, the Congolese military\u2014backed by a United Nations (U.N.) \u201cIntervention Brigade\u201d\u2014defeated a relatively formidable Rwandan-backed rebel group known as the M23. Despite a subsequent peace process between the government and the M23, however, rebel combatants were never fully demobilized, and some appeared to be reorganizing as of early 2017. New armed groups have also emerged in the central Kasa\u00ef region, a political opposition stronghold.\nThe United States has provided significant development aid, security assistance, and emergency humanitarian assistance to DRC, and is the largest financial contributor to the U.N. peacekeeping operation in DRC, MONUSCO. As a permanent, veto-capable member of the U.N. Security Council, the United States has shaped the scope of MONUSCO\u2019s mandate and of a U.N. sanctions regime. In 2016, for the first time, the United States issued unilateral targeted sanctions against several DRC government and military officials. The United States furthermore wields influence over the decisions of international financial institutions, from which the DRC government has requested budget support amid a recent economic downturn. Starting in 2013, the Obama Administration maintained a U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes region, reporting to the Secretary of State, a position held by two former Members of Congress. Whether, and at what level, the envoy position might continue under the Trump Administration remains to be seen. \nCongress has helped shape U.S. policy toward DRC through legislation and oversight activities, often focusing on human rights and democracy issues. In the 114th Congress, the House and Senate, respectively, passed H.Res. 780 and S.Res. 485, which called for punitive measures to deter President Kabila from clinging to power. Congress has also restricted certain types of aid to countries that, like DRC, have child soldiers in their military (P.L. 110-457, as amended), although the Obama Administration largely waived such restrictions for DRC. Between 2012 and 2014, the Obama Administration suspended some military aid to Rwanda, citing its support for the M23 rebel group, consistent with both the child soldiers law and provisions in foreign aid appropriations measures at the time. Members of the 114th Congress separately focused significant attention on the DRC government\u2019s decision in 2013 to suspend its issuance of exit permits for internationally adopted children. Members continue to debate the impact of \u00a71502 of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act (P.L. 111-203), regarding \u201cconflict minerals\u201d sourced in DRC and neighboring states. (See CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses, and CRS Report R43639, Conflict Minerals and Resource Extraction: Dodd-Frank, SEC Regulations, and Legal Challenges.)", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "ccd66cf8daf9d1a20328e99c9cbeb383a275d11e", "filename": "files/20170227_R43166_ccd66cf8daf9d1a20328e99c9cbeb383a275d11e.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "3ba2c6cf70be03c3535460ef2db869a1a10a6256", "filename": "files/20170227_R43166_3ba2c6cf70be03c3535460ef2db869a1a10a6256.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 457030, "date": "2016-09-06", "retrieved": "2016-11-21T15:16:46.468013", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Poor governance, conflict, and a long-running humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) present a range of challenges for international policymakers, including Members of Congress. Chronic instability in mineral-rich and densely populated eastern DRC has caused widespread human suffering and inhibited economic development throughout the wider Great Lakes region of central Africa. Congolese political actors have displayed limited capacity and will to improve security and state administration, while neighboring states have periodically provided support to rebel groups in the country. U.S. officials have expressed mounting concern about DRC\u2019s democratic trajectory ahead of national elections notionally slated for 2016. Incumbent President Joseph Kabila, in office since 2001, is constitutionally barred from reelection, but he appears likely to cling to power by delaying the polls. DRC has never experienced an electoral transfer of power between administrations. Election-related tensions have raised concerns about possible violence in a sub-region already experiencing substantial political unrest.\nA range of armed groups remain active in the east, an epicenter of regional conflict since the 1990s. In 2013, DRC and its neighbors agreed to a regional peace framework, and later that year, the Congolese military\u2014backed by a United Nations (U.N.) \u201cIntervention Brigade\u201d\u2014defeated a relatively formidable Rwandan-backed rebel group known as the M23. Then-U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, former U.S. Senator Russell Feingold, helped facilitate peace talks with the M23 and pushed for full implementation of the regional accord. However, DRC commitments under the peace process remain largely unfulfilled, and violence has since surged in some areas. \nIn July 2015, the Obama Administration named former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello to succeed Feingold as Special Envoy, spearheading high-level U.S. diplomatic engagement with DRC and its neighbors. The United States provides development aid, security assistance, and emergency humanitarian assistance to DRC, and is the largest financial contributor to the U.N. peacekeeping operation in DRC (MONUSCO). As a permanent, veto-capable member of the U.N. Security Council, the United States has influenced the scope of MONUSCO\u2019s mandate and a U.N. sanctions regime. Successive Administrations have also imposed bilateral targeted sanctions under an executive order, first issued in 2006 and expanded in 2014. The United States also wields influence over the decisions of international financial institutions from which the DRC government has recently requested budget support, amid an economic downturn caused by falling mineral export prices. U.S. efforts to achieve its policy goals in DRC may nonetheless be constrained by limited resources, a lack of state capacity, an absence of shared policy goals, and the challenge of coordinating with and influencing a diverse range of key players. \nCongress has helped shape U.S. policy toward DRC through legislation and oversight activities. Congress authorizes and appropriates aid funding for DRC as well as U.S. funding for MONUSCO. In 2016, S.Res. 485 (Senator Jeff Flake), S.Res. 479 (Senator Ed Markey), and H.Res. 780 (Representative Christopher Smith) have urged the consideration of new sanctions designations if Kabila does not peacefully leave office. Members of Congress have also focused attention on the DRC government\u2019s decision in 2013 to suspend its issuance of exit permits for internationally adopted children. Congress has enacted restrictions on certain types of U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, use child soldiers in their military (P.L. 110-457, as amended), but the Obama Administration waived such restrictions for DRC in FY2016. Between 2012 and 2014, the Administration suspended some military aid to neighboring Rwanda due to its support for the M23 rebel group in DRC, citing both the child soldier law and provisions in foreign aid appropriations measures in force at the time. \nFor background on U.S. regulation of DRC \u201cconflict minerals,\u201d see CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses, by Nicolas Cook.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "af54076174c6e449bbf6237af891cb80c55e8d34", "filename": "files/20160906_R43166_af54076174c6e449bbf6237af891cb80c55e8d34.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "acd292617849a75e5e85d1ab36946e3b81a3c8b2", "filename": "files/20160906_R43166_acd292617849a75e5e85d1ab36946e3b81a3c8b2.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 4879, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" } ] }, { "source": "EveryCRSReport.com", "id": 448178, "date": "2015-07-24", "retrieved": "2016-04-06T18:44:24.861285", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Relations", "summary": "Conflict, poor governance, and a long-running humanitarian crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) present a range of challenges for international policymakers, including Members of Congress. Chronic instability in the mineral-rich and densely populated east of the country has caused widespread human suffering and inhibited private sector investment throughout the wider Great Lakes region of central Africa. Congolese political actors have displayed limited capacity and will to improve security and state administration, while neighboring states have periodically provided support to rebel groups in the country. Obama Administration officials have also expressed concern about DRC\u2019s democratic trajectory ahead of national elections scheduled for 2016. Incumbent President Joseph Kabila, in office since 2001, is prohibited from running for reelection under DRC\u2019s constitution, but many observers posit that he may seek to delay the polls. DRC has never experienced an electoral transfer of power between administrations.\nSome progress in addressing recurrent conflict in eastern DRC was made in 2013. DRC and its neighbors agreed to a regional peace framework, and the Congolese military\u2014backed by a new United Nations (U.N.) \u201cIntervention Brigade\u201d\u2014defeated a relatively formidable rebel group known as the M23. Then-U.S. Special Envoy for the Great Lakes, former U.S. Senator Russell Feingold, helped facilitate a peace process with the M23 and pushed for full implementation of the regional accord. On the other hand, other armed groups remain active in the east, and the DRC government has made little progress on its commitments to demobilize and reintegrate former M23 combatants and to implement domestic security and governance reforms called for under the 2013 peace framework. \nThe United States provides development aid, security assistance, and emergency humanitarian assistance to DRC, and is the largest financial contributor to the U.N. peacekeeping operation in DRC (MONUSCO). As a permanent, veto-capable member of the U.N. Security Council, the United States is positioned to influence the annual authorization of MONUSCO and a U.N. sanctions regime, which is implemented in the United States via executive order. The United States may also influence the actions of international financial institutions that have, at times, provided support to the DRC government. U.S. efforts to advance peace and stability in DRC may nonetheless be constrained by limited resources, a lack of DRC state capacity and commitment to shared policy goals, and the challenge of coordinating with and influencing other key players. U.S. policy may also be affected by a recent change in personnel: in July 2015, former U.S. Representative Tom Perriello was appointed to succeed Feingold as Special Envoy.\nCongress has shaped U.S. policy toward DRC through legislation, regular hearings, and oversight activities. Congress authorizes and appropriates aid funding and U.S. contributions to MONUSCO\u2019s budget. Congress has also enacted restrictions on certain types of U.S. aid to countries that, like DRC, use child soldiers in their military (P.L. 110-457, as amended), fail to observe minimum standards in countering human trafficking (P.L. 110-457 and P.L. 106-386, as amended), or fail to uphold budget transparency (most recently, P.L. 113-235). The Obama Administration has waived most such restrictions for DRC, other than prohibiting certain military grants and sales. In addition, the Administration suspended some military aid to neighboring Rwanda in FY2012-FY2014 due to its support for the M23, citing provisions in foreign aid appropriations measures and child soldiers legislation. Members of Congress have also focused attention on wildlife trafficking issues and on the DRC government\u2019s decision to suspend the issuance of exit permits for internationally adopted children. See also CRS Report R42618, Conflict Minerals in Central Africa: U.S. and International Responses, by Nicolas Cook.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORTS", "active": true, "formats": [ { "format": "HTML", "encoding": "utf-8", "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/R43166", "sha1": "9a54fffdc274295da482d61a7ea08c048dac17d3", "filename": "files/20150724_R43166_9a54fffdc274295da482d61a7ea08c048dac17d3.html", "images": null }, { "format": "PDF", "encoding": null, "url": "http://www.crs.gov/Reports/pdf/R43166", "sha1": "dab7474de46cdcdaa665e26ebc3f15ce63977e49", "filename": "files/20150724_R43166_dab7474de46cdcdaa665e26ebc3f15ce63977e49.pdf", "images": null } ], "topics": [ { "source": "IBCList", "id": 276, "name": "Sub-Saharan Africa" }, { "source": "IBCList", "id": 3605, "name": "United Nations" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc282280/", "id": "R43166_2014Feb24", "date": "2014-02-24", "retrieved": "2014-04-02T19:38:14", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Policy", "summary": "This report reviews the status of the Democratic Republic of the Congo peace process, provides background on recent conflicts in the Congo, briefly summarizes the political history that led to these conflicts, and assesses prospects for the future. It also describes relevant U.S. policy and congressional involvement.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20140224_R43166_36280e1195ffab5949acfe9e7369f68ebfa055b3.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20140224_R43166_36280e1195ffab5949acfe9e7369f68ebfa055b3.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Democratic Republic of the Congo", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Democratic Republic of the Congo" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- Democratic Republic of the Congo -- U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations -- Democratic Republic of the Congo -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Politics and government -- Democratic Republic of the Congo", "name": "Politics and government -- Democratic Republic of the Congo" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" } ] }, { "source": "University of North Texas Libraries Government Documents Department", "sourceLink": "https://digital.library.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metadc227897/", "id": "R43166_2013Jul29", "date": "2013-07-29", "retrieved": "2013-11-05T18:07:05", "title": "Democratic Republic of Congo: Background and U.S. Policy", "summary": "The purpose of this report is to review the status of the Democratic Republic of the Congo peace process, provide background on recent conflicts in the Congo; briefly summarize the political history that led to these conflicts; and assess prospects for the future. U.S. Congo policy and congressional involvement are also described.", "type": "CRS Report", "typeId": "REPORT", "active": false, "formats": [ { "format": "PDF", "filename": "files/20130729_R43166_1283297221483bc45232fb85675ccd2948833244.pdf" }, { "format": "HTML", "filename": "files/20130729_R43166_1283297221483bc45232fb85675ccd2948833244.html" } ], "topics": [ { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign policy", "name": "Foreign policy" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Democratic Republic of the Congo", "name": "Foreign relations -- U.S. -- Democratic Republic of the Congo" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Foreign relations -- Democratic Republic of the Congo -- U.S.", "name": "Foreign relations -- Democratic Republic of the Congo -- U.S." }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "Politics and government -- Democratic Republic of the Congo", "name": "Politics and government -- Democratic Republic of the Congo" }, { "source": "LIV", "id": "International affairs", "name": "International affairs" } ] } ], "topics": [ "African Affairs", "Foreign Affairs", "Intelligence and National Security", "National Defense" ] }