July 16, 2025
Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. Salazar, Mrs. Radewagen, and Mr. McCormick) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committee on the Judiciary, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
Recognizing and applauding President Trump for brokering a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and supporting diplomatic and economic efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region.
Whereas the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) has endured decades of conflict, political instability, and humanitarian crises, causing immense suffering for its people;
Whereas eastern DRC and the broader African Great Lakes region continue to experience cycles of violence, displacement, and human rights violations that threaten regional stability;
Whereas, since the resurgence of the March 23 Movement (M23) rebel group in 2021, there were about 6,800,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) by April 2025, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA);
Whereas more than 1,000,000 people were displaced in the first half of 2025 alone;
Whereas, according to OCHA, as of 2024, nearly 25,400,000 people in the DRC require humanitarian assistance, making it one of the largest and most complex humanitarian crises globally;
Whereas the European Parliament adopted a resolution on November 24, 2022 (2022/2957(RSP)), addressing forced displacement and escalating violence in the eastern DRC, calling for targeted humanitarian aid and termination of support to armed groups;
Whereas the European Union has enacted Regulation (EU) 2017/821 to establish supply chain obligations for importers of conflict minerals and to reaffirm its support for regional peace efforts through diplomatic and funding initiatives;
Whereas local and national efforts, including the Pacte Social pour la Paix et le Bien-Vivre Ensemble
(Social Pact for Peace and Living Together), a joint effort by the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO, by its French acronym) and the Church of Christ in Congo (ECC, by its French acronym), aim to promote reconciliation, civic engagement, and lasting peace in the region;
Whereas civil society organizations, religious leaders, and local communities actively support citizen workshops and national forums to form peace agreements;
Whereas regional diplomacy, including the Doha, Luanda, and Nairobi Processes, provides critical platforms for mediation and disarmament of rebel groups;
Whereas African-led peace initiatives, such as the Luanda and Nairobi processes facilitated by the East African Community (EAC) and Southern African Development Community (SADC), provide essential frameworks for mediation, disarmament, and dialogue to resolve the conflict and promote regional cooperation;
Whereas, according to the African Union, coordinated peace frameworks such as the Luanda and Nairobi Processes remain critical tools in addressing transnational armed groups and enabling regional dialogue;
Whereas the United States has provided vital diplomatic and humanitarian support to the DRC;
Whereas illegal exploitation and trade in natural resources, particularly through the mining sector (exacerbated by illegal Chinese operations), finances armed groups and empowers corruption, violence, and child and forced labor within the region;
Whereas the DRC possesses immense natural and mineral wealth estimated in the trillions of dollars, including approximately 70 percent of the world’s cobalt reserves and 40 percent of global coltan production;
Whereas militias exploit these resources, some of which is mined by children as young as four years old, to finance their operations, perpetuating conflict and environmental degradation;
Whereas The Sentry has documented persistent shortcomings in supply chain transparency and accountability, particularly in Chinese-owned operations that fail to comply with labor and environmental standards;
Whereas M23, the Democratic Forces for the Liberation of Rwanda (FDLR), and the Allied Democratic Forces (ADF), among other armed groups across eastern DRC, commit atrocities including mass murder, rape, torture, beheadings, burning, kidnapping, and forced conscription of children;
Whereas M23, the FDLR, the ADF, and other armed groups across eastern DRC deliberately destroy and loot towns, churches, and religious schools to erase nonconforming cultural and religious communities;
Whereas these crimes have caused the displacement of hundreds of thousands of people, rendering them vulnerable to exploitation and death;
Whereas crimes against humanity, as defined in the Nuremberg Charter and subsequent international instruments, including the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, include such atrocities, especially when committed on political, ethnic, or religious grounds;
Whereas the United States has designated the ADF as a Foreign Terrorist Organization and its leader, Seka Musa Baluku, as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist; and
Whereas the ADF operates as an ISIS affiliate: Now, therefore, be it
Sec.
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
recognizes and applauds President Trump for brokering a peace agreement between Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) and supports diplomatic and economic efforts to achieve lasting peace in the region;
(2)
urges the peaceful resolution of tensions between the DRC and Rwanda and encourages all regional stakeholders to participate in African-led dialogues such as the Luanda and Nairobi Processes;
(3)
recognizes the benefit of an inclusive national dialogue led and facilitated by CENCO and ECC that includes all the actors of civil society movements, religious confessions, political parties, and armed groups to promote social cohesion, national unity and principles of good governance;
(4)
calling for a stop to all state support for non-state armed groups and respect for the DRC Constitution, democratic principles, human rights, and the cessation of arbitrary prosecutions, detentions, and denial of official documents such as passports to political opponents and citizens;
(5)
calls on the DRC government to combat systemic corruption and implement transparent, accountable governance and enforcement and adherence to term limits contained in the DRC Constitution;
(6)
endorses the establishment of critical minerals commercial agreements between the United States, the DRC, and Rwanda to promote mutual economic and national security interests and to de-risk mineral supply chains and establish value chains, linking both countries, as partners, where feasible, with the United States and United States investors;
(7)
encourages strengthened local and international implementation of supply chain traceability and due diligence regulations targeting conflict minerals and supports reforms in the mining sector to combat corruption and illicit financing;
(8)
urges the President of the United States to take measures to sanction corrupt actors, armed groups, including the M23, the FDLR and the ADF for atrocities, war crimes and crimes against humanity;
(9)
encourages the use of targeted economic sanctions and visa restrictions against individuals and entities that are corrupt, obstructing peace, perpetrating violence, or committing human rights abuses; and
(10)
reaffirms the commitment of the United States to supporting peace, democracy, and economic development in the DRC and the African Great Lakes region.