Association Of Concerned Africa Scholars Petitions Obama Administration To
Protect Civilians In The DRC
December 12, 2012
More than 200 academic specialist scholars of Africa have called on
President Obama to take action through the United Nations to protect
civilians in the conflict zone of eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo
(DRC). The petition was released today by the Association of Concerned
Africa Scholars (ACAS), since 1977 a national organization of professors and
other specialists on Africa.
According to the International Rescue Committee, with more than 5 million
killed in this disordered nation in the last 14 years, the conflicts there
are the worlds deadliest documented conflict since WW II, yet it has not
had the attention it needs, said Noah Zerbe, political scientist at
Humboldt State University and co-chairperson of ACAS.
David Wiley, sociologist at Michigan State University and chair of the ACAS
Demilitarization Task Force explained, We are calling on President Obama to
give the Congo the same attention as Israel and Palestine. We want him to
enforce U.S. laws against violence there, including his own Obama Law of
2006. Then we call for the U.S. to empower and supply the UN troops in the
Congo to stop the rapes, the atrocities, the recruiting of child soldiers,
and the disruption of life there by a dozen different violent militias and
the national armies of the Congo, Rwanda, and Uganda.
We in the U.S. and Belgium precipitated this horrendous violence 50 years
ago, Wiley noted, when the CIA helped assassinate the Congos president
and installed our Cold War dictator ally General Mobutu, who plundered and
disordered the country for 32 years. Now, the people of the Congo deserve
our attention and the best effort of the worlds nations to end this
maelstrom.
The ACAS petition calls for President Obama to
to lead the international
community in taking forceful action to seek to end the human rights
violations that are being committed and to press all involved parties to
ensure the protection of civilians. ACAS also calls on Obama to:
* Press the Security Council to ensure protection of civilians from
further abuse and ensure support for the UN peacekeeping mission in the DRC
(MONUC) so that it has adequate resources and mandate to fulfill its
protection role.
* Support a Security Council resolution requiring Rwanda and Uganda to
immediately withdraw any support to the M23 armed group.
* Publicly recommend to the UN Security Council that officials within
the Rwandan Ministry of Defense be added to the list of designated
individuals targeted by the UNSC Sanctions Committee.
* Mandate the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) to fully
implement the Sec 1502 disclosure requirement of the Dodd-Frank Wall Street
Reform and Consumer Protection Act requiring U.S. companies to disclose any
products they manufacture using conflict minerals sourced from the
Democratic Republic of Congo or contiguous countries.
* Press the Congolese government to stop violations being committed by
the Congolese army as well as entering into alliances with armed groups, and
fully implement the Public Law 109-456: The DRC Relief, Security, and
Democracy Promotion Act of 2006 (Obama Law).
* End the waiver of Child Soldier sanctions on the Congolese
Government and extend the sanctions to include nations that support guerilla
movements like M23 that recruit child soldiers.
The Association of Concerned Africa Scholars, founded in 1977, is a
voluntary organization of scholars of Africa in the United States that
provides analysis and action to seek U.S. policies that are more supportive
of the broad interests of the people of Africa and the United States.
Thé Mulindwas Communication Group
"With Yoweri Museveni and Dr. Kiiza Besigye Uganda is in anarchy"
Kuungana Mulindwa Mawasiliano Kikundi
"Pamoja na Yoweri Museveni na Dk. Kiiza Besigye Uganda ni katika machafuko"
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