III 109th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 186 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES July 1, 2005 Mr. Brownback (for himself, Mr. Corzine, Mr. Coburn, Mr. DeWine, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Kerry, and Mr. Salazar) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Affirming the importance of a national weekend of prayer for the victims of genocide and crimes against humanity in Darfur, Sudan, and expressing the sense of the Senate that July 15 through 17, 2005, should be designated as a national weekend of prayer and reflection for the people of Darfur.

Whereas, on July 22, 2004, Congress declared that genocide was taking place in Darfur, Sudan; Whereas, on September 9, 2004, Secretary of State Colin L. Powell testified to the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations that genocide has been committed in Darfur; Whereas, on September 21, 2004, President George W. Bush stated to the United Nations General Assembly that the world is witnessing terrible suffering and horrible crimes in the Darfur region of Sudan, crimes my government has concluded are genocide; Whereas Article 1 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, done at Paris December 9, 1948, and entered into force January 12, 1951, states that [t]he Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and punish; Whereas fundamental human rights, including the right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion, are protected in numerous international agreements and declarations; Whereas the United Nations Security Council, in Security Council Resolution 1591, condemned the continued violations of the N'djamena Ceasefire Agreement of 8 April 2004 and the Abuja Protocols of 9 November 2004 by all sides in Darfur and the deterioration of the security situation and negative impact this has had on humanitarian assistance efforts; Whereas President Bush declared on June 30, 2005, Yet the violence in Darfur region is clearly genocide. The human cost is beyond calculation.; Whereas it is estimated that more than 2,000,000 people have been displaced from their homes and remain in camps in Darfur, Chad, and elsewhere; Whereas while United States government assistance and African Union monitoring has mitigated violence in some regions of Darfur, religious leaders, genocide survivors, and world leaders have expressed grave concern, over the atrocities still occurring there and for the thousands that may still be dying; and Whereas it is appropriate that the people of the United States, leaders and citizens alike, unite in prayer for the people of Darfur and reflect upon the situation in Darfur: Now, therefore, be it

That it is the sense of the Senate— (1)that the weekend of July 15 through 17, 2005, should be designated as a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for the people of Darfur, Sudan; (2)to encourage the people of the United States to observe that weekend by praying for an end to the genocide and crimes against humanity and for lasting peace in Darfur, Sudan; and (3)to urge all churches, synagogues, mosques, and religious institutions in the United States to consider the people of Darfur in their activities and to observe the National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection with appropriate activities and services.