Congress Urges Obama Administration to Pressure Rwanda Over Congo Crisis

Industrial Metals

Bloomberg reported that members of the U.S. Congress are asking the Obama administration to take a tougher stance against Rwanda in light of its support for the rebels in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

As quoted in the market news:

“Smith, at a hearing of his panel yesterday, questioned why the U.S. wasn’t seeking sanctions against leaders of the Rwandan government and appointing a presidential envoy to the region. He said President Barack Obama, as a senator in 2006, pushed legislation advocating “more robust” measures than the administration has provided so far.

The crisis in Congo has killed 5 million people since 1997 and displaced millions more, said Johnnie Carson, assistant secretary of state for the Bureau of African Affairs, who testified at the hearing. Also at stake in the eastern part of Congo, bordering Rwanda and Uganda, are deposits of tin ore, gold, tungsten and coltan, a mineral used in laptops and mobile phones.”