119-hres586

[Congressional Bills 119th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 586 Introduced in House

    (IH) ]

<DOC>

119th CONGRESS
 1st Session
H. RES. 586

 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.

_______________________________________________________________________

 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

 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

_______________________________________________________________________

 RESOLUTION

 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
 Resolved, 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.
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