[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 403 Referred in Senate (RFS)]

  2d Session
H. CON. RES. 403


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 18, 2004

      Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                         CONCURRENT RESOLUTION


 
Condemning the Government of the Republic of the Sudan for its attacks 
against innocent civilians in the impoverished Darfur region of western 
                                 Sudan.

Whereas, since early 2003, a conflict between forces of the Government of the 
        Republic of the Sudan, including militia forces backed by the 
        Government, and rebel forces in the impoverished Darfur region of 
        western Sudan has resulted in attacks by ground and air forces of the 
        Government of Sudan against innocent civilians and undefended villages 
        in the region;
Whereas Sudanese Government forces and government supported militia forces have 
        also engaged in the use of rape as a weapon of war, the abduction of 
        children, the destruction of food and water sources, and the deliberate 
        and systematic manipulation and denial of humanitarian assistance for 
        the people of the Darfur region;
Whereas, on December 18, 2003, United Nations Undersecretary General for 
        Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland declared that the Darfur region was 
        probably ``the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe'', and in April 
        2004 reported to the United Nations Security Council that in Darfur, ``a 
        sequence of deliberate actions has been observed that seem aimed at 
        achieving a specific objective: the forcible and long-term displacement 
        of the targeted communities which may also be termed `ethnic 
        cleansing''';
Whereas, on February 17, 2004, Amnesty International reported that it 
        ``continues to receive details of horrifying attacks against civilians 
        in villages by government warplanes, soldiers, and pro-government 
        militia'';
Whereas, on February 18, 2004, United Nations Special Envoy for Humanitarian 
        Affairs in Sudan Tom Eric Vraalsen declared, following a trip to the 
        Darfur region, that ``aid workers are unable to reach the vast majority 
        [of the displaced]'';
Whereas Doctors Without Borders, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning medical 
        humanitarian relief organization and one of the few aid groups on the 
        ground in the Darfur region, reported that the region is the scene of 
        ``catastrophic mortality rates'';
Whereas, on April 20, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for 
        Human Rights delayed the release of a report citing gross human rights 
        abuses, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in Darfur in a 
        bid to gain access to Sudan for investigators;
Whereas the Government of Sudan continues to deny humanitarian assistance for 
        the people of the Darfur region by denying them unrestricted access to 
        humanitarian aid organizations;
Whereas attacks on civilians in Darfur continue despite an April 8, 2004, 
        temporary cease-fire agreement;
Whereas nearly 3,000,000 people affected by the conflict in the Darfur region 
        have remained beyond the reach of aid agencies trying to provide 
        essential humanitarian assistance, and United Nations aid agencies 
        estimate that they have been able to reach only 15 percent of people in 
        need and that more than 700,000 people have been displaced within Sudan 
        in the past year; and
Whereas the United States delegation to the 60th Session of the United Nations 
        Commission on Human Rights sponsored a resolution condemning the 
        Government of Sudan for grave violations of human rights and 
        humanitarian law occurring in the Darfur region: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring), 
That Congress--
            (1) strongly condemns the Government of the Republic of the 
        Sudan and militia groups supported by the Government of Sudan 
        for attacks against innocent civilians in the impoverished 
        Darfur region of western Sudan, in violation of Article 3 of 
        the Geneva Conventions, done at Geneva August 12, 1949, and 
        entered into force October 21, 1950, which specifically 
        prohibit attacks on civilians, and demands that the Government 
        of Sudan immediately take actions to cease these attacks;
            (2) urges the Government of Sudan to immediately disarm and 
        disband government supported militia groups;
            (3) urges the Government of Sudan and all parties to honor 
        commitments made in the cease-fire agreement of April 8, 2004;
            (4) calls on the Government of Sudan to grant full, 
        unconditional, and immediate access to Darfur to humanitarian 
        aid organizations, the human rights investigation and 
        humanitarian teams of the United Nations, including protection 
        officers, and an international monitoring team in compliance 
        with the temporary cease-fire agreement that is based in Darfur 
        and has the support of the United States and the European 
        Union;
            (5) encourages the Administrator of the United States 
        Agency for International Development to work with donors to 
        immediately deliver humanitarian assistance to Darfur, 
        including the delivery of food by air if necessary;
            (6) calls on the Secretary of State to develop a plan for 
        further bilateral and multilateral action in the event the 
        Government of Sudan fails to immediately undertake the actions 
        called for in paragraph (3), including a plan to seek a 
        Security Council resolution addressing the Darfur situation;
            (7) deplores the inaction of some member states of the 
        United Nations and the failure of the United Nations Human 
        Rights Commission to take strong action with respect to the 
        crisis in Darfur;
            (8) urges the President to direct the United States 
        Representative to the United Nations to--
                    (A) seek an official investigation by the United 
                Nations to determine if crimes against humanity have 
                been committed by the Government of Sudan and 
                government-supported militia groups in the Darfur 
                region; and
                    (B) work with the international community to ensure 
                that the individuals responsible for crimes against 
                humanity in Darfur are held accountable for their 
                actions; and
            (9) strongly urges the President to impose targeted 
        sanctions, including a ban on travel to the United States and 
        freezing of personal assets, against officials and other 
        individuals of the Government of Sudan, as well as Janjaweed 
        militia commanders, who are responsible for war crimes and 
        crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.

            Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 2004.

            Attest:

                                                 JEFF TRANDAHL,

                                                                 Clerk.