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Note: This document is from the archive of the Africa Policy E-Journal, published by the Africa Policy Information Center (APIC) from 1995 to 2001 and by Africa Action from 2001 to 2003. APIC was merged into Africa Action in 2001. Please note that many outdated links in this archived document may not work.

Zaire: U.S. House Resolution
Date Distributed (ymd): 960618

U.S. House of Representatives
Resolution Introduced

Expressing the sense of the House of Representatives with
respect to the promotion of democracy and civil society in
Zaire. (Introduced in the House)

104th CONGRESS, 2d Session, H. RES. 399

March 29, 1996

Mr. PAYNE of New Jersey (for himself, Mr. CHABOT, Mrs.
CLAYTON, Mr. CONYERS, Ms. MCKINNEY, Mr. BEREUTER, Mr. OWENS,
and Mr. WYNN) submitted the following resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on International Relations

Whereas the people of the United States support the
development of democratic institutions and the growth of civil
society in Zaire  that reflect the will of the people of
Zaire;

Whereas the people of the United States applaud the efforts of
Zairian civil society, and particularly of indigenous human
rights groups, to promote the general welfare of Zaire's
citizens, to advocate the establishment of functioning
democratic institutions and the rule of law, and to ensure and
respect universal human rights standards;

Whereas the people of the United States respect the right of
Zairians, as recognized by the Constitutional Act of the
Transition, to participate in a free and open political
process, which includes the right to form competing political
parties and to participate in free and fair elections;

Whereas antidemocratic and destabilizing measures of President
Mobutu Sese Seko, including the intimidation of local
organizations and political parties promoting democracy and
the protection of fundamental human rights, the encouragement
of torture, arbitrary arrest, extrajudicial killing, and
extortion by the security forces under his control, and the
guarantee that his supporters may act with impunity, have
contributed to the obstruction of the transition to democracy
in Zaire;

Whereas President Mobutu has, in violation of the
Constitutional Act of the Transition, used his de facto
control over the security forces and Zaire's governmental and
financial institutions to undermine Zaire's transition to
democracy;

Whereas this continuing intimidation of local civil society
organizations and opposition political parties, widespread
violation of fundamental rights, and guarantee of impunity for
violators have been deplored by numerous human rights
organizations in Zaire, the United Nations Commission on Human
Rights, and the United States Government;

Whereas President Mobutu, having repeatedly failed to honor
promises and commitments he has made to cooperate with
international efforts to stabilize the refugee crisis in
Eastern Zaire, has again, in the Declaration of the Cairo
Conference of November 29, 1995, and the Tripartite meeting of
Zaire, Rwanda, and the United Nations High Commission for
Refugees that was held on December 22, 1995, made similar and
to date unfulfilled promises;

Whereas the United States has recognized by Presidential
Proclamation that President Mobutu is the primary obstacle to
the transition to democracy in Zaire; and

Whereas House Concurrent Resolution 238, unanimously passed by
the 102d Congress, calling on President Mobutu to step down,
was not heeded: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the House of Representatives--

(1) expresses its profound support for Zairian nongovernmental
organizations seeking to promote the protection of fundamental
human rights and the transition to democracy in Zaire;

(2) encourages all political parties in Zaire  to include
representatives of civil society in every stage of the
electoral process;

(3) condemns the continuing intimidation of those groups by
military authorities in Zaire;

(4) condemns the continuing practice of torture, arbitrary
arrest, extrajudicial execution, and extortion by elements of
the Zairian armed forces;

(5) condemns the human rights violations and the intimidation
of local civil society groups by the Zairian armed forces,
with President Mobutu's implicit approval;

(6) urges that President Clinton continue indefinitely the
sanctions already imposed upon Zaire, including--

     (A) the denial of visas to President Mobutu, his family,
     and his associates; and

     (B) the suspension of all forms of economic assistance to
     Zaire, except for that which can be offered through
     nongovernmental organizations in direct circumvention of
     President Mobutu and the Zairian Government;

(7) urges that the United States work through the United
Nations Commission on Human Rights to extend the mandate of
the Special Rapporteur on Zaire  and pressure the Government
of Zaire  to allow the Special Rapporteur to open an office in
Kinshasa and to facilitate this process;

(8) urges the President of the United States to pressure
President Mobutu to respect his commitments--

     (A) to prevent the use of Zairian territory for military
     incursions into Rwanda or for military or militia
     training; and

     (B) to halt the flow of arms to Hutu extremists living in
     Eastern Zaire;

(9) urges the President of the United States to assist the
United Nations Arms Investigators in removing from the refugee
camps intimidators who by actual or threat of violence compel
refugees to follow a political agenda of the Zairian
Government;

(10) urges the President of the United States--

     (A) to combat extremist propaganda in the refugee camps
     that is designed to undermine voluntary repatriation
     efforts of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights;
     and

     (B) to cooperate with the efforts of the International
     Tribunal to bring the perpetrators of the Rwandan
     genocide to justice; and

(11) recommends that the United States, in collaboration with
its allies, investigate and implement other means of
continuing and reinforcing international pressure on President
Mobutu, his family, and his associates.

Additional cosponsors added since introduction of the bill
include, as of June 17, Rep. Houghton, Rep. Dellums, Rep.
Fattah, Rep. Jackson, Rep. Waters, Rep. Yates, Rep. Porter,
Rep. Lofgren, Rep. Slaughter, Rep. Watt, Rep. LaFalce.
Updated status of the legislation can be checked on
http://thomas.loc.gov/

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This material is being reposted for wider distribution by the
Washington Office on Africa (WOA), a not-for-profit church,
trade union and  civil rights group supported organization
that works with Congress on Africa-related legislation. WOA's
educational affiliate is the Africa Policy Information Center
(APIC).

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