110 HCON 423 IH: Calling for a comprehensive strategy to U.S. House of Representatives 2008-09-23 text/xml EN Pursuant to Title 17 Section 105 of the United States Code, this file is not subject to copyright protection and is in the public domain.

IV 110th CONGRESS 2d Session H. CON. RES. 423 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES September 23, 2008 Mr. Kirk (for himself, Mr. Jackson of Illinois, and Mr. Wolf) submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs CONCURRENT RESOLUTION Calling for a comprehensive strategy to address the crisis in Darfur, Sudan, and condemning the ongoing assaults and obstruction by the Khartoum regime.

Whereas more than 300,000 people have died and approximately 2,500,000 have been displaced in Darfur, Sudan, since 2003, according to estimates by the United Nations; Whereas, on July 22, 2004, Congress unanimously declared that the atrocities in Darfur were genocide; Whereas, on September 9, 2004, Secretary of State Colin Powell described the crisis in Darfur as genocide and on June 1, 2005, President George W. Bush did the same; Whereas the United States has led the world in financial contributions to humanitarian aid and peacekeeping operations in Darfur; Whereas, on July 31, 2007, the United Nations Security Council voted to deploy a historic United Nations African Union (UNAMID) peacekeeping force to stem the violence in Darfur and create conditions for peace talks; Whereas only approximately 10,000 of the authorized force of 26,000 peacekeepers and police have deployed to Darfur, the remaining forces have been delayed by Sudanese obstruction as well as by a failure of the international community to commit sufficient resources and to overcome logistical obstacles;  Whereas more than 4 years have passed since Congress declared the conflict in Darfur to be genocide and conditions on the ground in Darfur continue to worsen; Whereas the Sudanese armed forces continue bombardment of alleged rebel positions reportedly causing thousands of civilians to leave their homes amid the fresh onslaught; Whereas to date United Nations has failed to overcome obstructionism and logistical difficulties imposed by the regime in Khartoum and the armed factions in Darfur to assure the protection of civilians; and Whereas this pattern of continued failure cannot continue: Now, therefore, be it

That Congress— (1)urges the President, the Secretary-General of the United Nations, the African Union, regional governmental and nongovernmental actors, and other key members of the international community to pursue a comprehensive solution to the Darfur crisis by— (A)supporting efforts to reach a just and inclusive peace agreement; (B)ensuring the full and effective deployment of the United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur (UNAMID); (C)ensuring the free and unfettered flow of humanitarian aid; (D)promoting economic and political development programs; (E)supporting full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005; and (F)promoting justice and accountability; (2)condemns the ongoing acts of violence in and obstruction of aid to Darfur committed by all parties; and (3)calls upon the Government of Sudan and armed parties in the region to declare and respect an immediate cessation of hostilities, abide by the United Nations embargo on the importation of arms, cease predation and attacks upon humanitarian organizations, and participate in international efforts to negotiate a lasting political settlement for the region.