PARLIAMENTARY EARLY DAY MOTION
CONGO (28 June 2010)

That this House recognises the 50th anniversary of Congolese independence on 30 June 2010; welcomes the progress made by the Congolese government since the end of the country's civil war in 2003; notes in particular the successful passage of the country's first democratic elections held in 2006; welcomes the cordial relationship that the UK Government enjoys with its Congolese counterparts in Kinshasa; notes the 2009 rapprochement between the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda as a positive step towards finding a non-military and regional approach to the conflict in eastern DRC; calls on the Government to maintain and strengthen its engagement in the DRC; urges the Government to give further support to measures that will better protect Congolese civilians from violence, especially considering that conflict in eastern DRC has been ongoing for almost 15 years and is estimated to have cost over 5.4 million Congolese lives; abhors the sexual violence and other consequences of conflict which particularly affect Congo's women and children; further calls on the Government to support efforts to better address these problems; supports the use of non-military and regional solutions to the ongoing conflict; recognises that more accountable government across the region is central to stabilising the area; further calls on the Government to promote these measures; further calls on the UK to take a leading role in preventing natural resources from fuelling the conflict in eastern Congo; and encourages responsible UK companies to engage with the DRC in this respect.

Sponsored by:
Eric Joyce (Independent)