[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1424 Introduced in House (IH)]







110th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1424

 Supporting humanitarian assistance, the protection of civilians, and 
 accountability for abuses in Somalia, and urging concrete progress in 
   line with the Transitional Federal Charter of Somalia toward the 
        establishment of a viable government of national unity.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                           September 10, 2008

 Mr. Ellison (for himself and Ms. Jackson-Lee of Texas) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                                Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Supporting humanitarian assistance, the protection of civilians, and 
 accountability for abuses in Somalia, and urging concrete progress in 
   line with the Transitional Federal Charter of Somalia toward the 
        establishment of a viable government of national unity.

Whereas despite the formation of the internationally recognized Transitional 
        Federal Government (TFG) in 2004, there has been little improvement in 
        the governance or stability of southern and central Somalia, and 
        stability in the northern region of Puntland has deteriorated;
Whereas governance failures in Somalia have permitted and contributed to 
        escalating violence, egregious human rights abuses, and violations of 
        international humanitarian law, including rape and other forms of sexual 
        and gender-based violence against women and girls committed by the TFG, 
        Ethiopian, and opposition armed forces;
Whereas these atrocities occur with impunity and have led to an independent 
        system of roadblocks, checkpoints, and extortion that hinders trade, 
        business, and the delivery of desperately needed humanitarian 
        assistance;
Whereas the Government of Ethiopia intervened in December 2006 against Somalia's 
        Islamic Courts Union (ICU) and continues to serve as the primary 
        security force for the TFG;
Whereas a report of the United Nations Monitoring Group on Somalia presented to 
        the United Nations Security Council on July 20, 2007, alleged that 
        Eritreans have provided arms to insurgents in Somalia as part of a long-
        standing dispute between Ethiopia and Eritrea that includes a series of 
        interlocking proxy wars in the Horn of Africa;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that 2,000,000 people in Somalia, with 
        women and children disproportionately represented, need humanitarian 
        assistance or livelihood support for at least the next 6 months, 
        including 745,000 people who have fled ongoing insecurity and sporadic 
        violence in Mogadishu over the past 16 months, adding to more than 
        275,000 long-term internally displaced Somalis, as of April 2008;
Whereas Somali refugees and internally displaced persons are especially 
        vulnerable to rape and other forms of sexual and gender-based violence, 
        and receive virtually no protection against such attacks;
Whereas the incidence and brutality of rape and other sexual violence in Somalia 
        continues to increase, and the suffering of women and girls under such 
        circumstances is compounded by societal discrimination and acceptance of 
        violence against women and girls, including underrepresentation in 
        politics, severe inequality in access to education, domestic violence, 
        and the widespread use of female genital mutilation;
Whereas survivors fear retribution for reporting attacks, and journalists and 
        other human rights defenders, including women, have been increasingly 
        targeted by all sides in the conflict, inhibiting reporting and 
        monitoring of sexual violence and other human rights abuses;
Whereas, despite Prime Minister Nur Hassan Hussein's public commitment to 
        humanitarian operations, local and international aid agencies remain 
        hindered by extortion, harassment, and administrative obstructions;
Whereas, in March 2008, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon presented a 
        report on Somalia based on recent strategic assessments and fact-finding 
        missions, which offered recommendations for increasing United Nations 
        engagement while decreasing the presence of foreign troops, including 
        the establishment of a maritime task force to deter piracy and support 
        the 1992 international arms embargo;
Whereas, while the United States Government has allocated nearly $50,000,000 to 
        support the African Union Mission in Somalia and continues to be the 
        leading contributor of humanitarian assistance in Somalia, providing 
        approximately $140,000,000 in fiscal year 2007 and fiscal year 2008 to 
        date, there is no comprehensive strategy to build a sustainable peace;
Whereas, over the last 5 years, the House of Representatives has repeatedly 
        called upon the President to develop and implement a comprehensive 
        strategy to contribute to lasting peace and security throughout the Horn 
        of Africa by helping to establish a legitimate, stable central 
        government in Somalia capable of maintaining the rule of law and 
        preventing the country from becoming a safe haven for terrorists through 
        resolutions, amendments, bills, oversight letters, and hearings;
Whereas a February 2008 Government Accountability Office report found that 
        United States and international ``efforts have been limited by lack of 
        security, access to vulnerable populations, and effective government 
        institutions'' as well as the fact that the United States ``strategy for 
        Somalia, outlined in the Administration's 2007 report to Congress on its 
        Comprehensive Regional Strategy on Somalia, is incomplete'';
Whereas the recent designation by the Department of State of Somalia's al-
        Shabaab militia as a foreign terrorist organization under section 219 of 
        the Immigration and Nationality Act and as a specially designated global 
        terrorist by Executive order highlights the growing need for a 
        strategic, multifaceted, and coordinated approach to Somalia; and
Whereas it is in the interest of the United States, the people of Somalia, and 
        the citizens and governments of countries worldwide to work toward a 
        legitimate peace and a sustainable resolution to the crisis in Somalia 
        that includes and embodies civilian protection, access to services, the 
        rule of law, and accountability: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) remains committed to the people of Somalia and to 
        helping build the institutions necessary for a stable nation 
        free of civil war and violent extremism;
            (2) encourages the President, in partnership with the 
        African Union, the United Nations, and the international 
        community as a whole, to--
                    (A) provide sufficient humanitarian assistance to 
                those most seriously affected by the armed conflict, 
                drought, and flooding throughout Somalia, and call on 
                the Transitional Federal Government to actively 
                facilitate dispersal of such assistance;
                    (B) ensure accountability for all state, nonstate, 
                and external parties responsible for violations of 
                human rights and international humanitarian law in 
                Somalia, including rape and other forms of sexual and 
                gender-based violence against women and girls, through 
                the deployment of United Nations human rights monitors 
                and the establishment of a United Nations Commission of 
                Inquiry to investigate abuses;
                    (C) call on all parties to recommit to an inclusive 
                dialogue with international support in the interest of 
                promoting sustainable peace and security in Somalia and 
                across the Horn of Africa;
                    (D) urge the Government of Ethiopia, in 
                coordination with the United Nations Political Office 
                in Somalia, to develop a clear timeline for the 
                responsible withdrawal of its armed forces from 
                Somalia, to honor its obligation under the Geneva 
                Conventions to ensure protection of civilians under its 
                control, and to observe the distinction between 
                civilians and military combatants and their assets;
                    (E) urge the Government of Eritrea to play a 
                productive role in helping to bring about stability to 
                Somalia, including ceasing to provide financial and 
                material support, such as arms and ammunition, to 
                insurgent groups in and around Mogadishu and throughout 
                the region; and
                    (F) call on all countries in the region and wider 
                international community to provide increased support 
                for African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) and 
                ensure a robust civilian protection mandate for AMISOM 
                and any future peacekeeping mission, including the 
                adoption of a strategy to address and end widespread 
                sexual and gender-based violence in internally 
                displaced person camps and at checkpoints, consistent 
                with United Nations Security Council Resolutions 1325 
                and 1814 and related laws and policies on the 
                protection of women and girls; and
            (3) encourages the Transitional Federal Government, 
        including the newly appointed Prime Minister and his cabinet, 
        to work to achieve sustainable peace in the region by--
                    (A) taking necessary steps to protect civilians 
                from dangers related to military operations; 
                investigating and prosecuting human rights abuses, 
                including rape and other forms of sexual and gender-
                based violence against women and girls; providing basic 
                services to all the people of Somalia; and ensuring 
                that humanitarian organizations have full access to 
                vulnerable populations;
                    (B) recommitting to the Transitional Federal 
                Charter, including its promotion of peace, democracy, 
                the rule of law, fundamental freedoms, and protection 
                of the human rights of all Somalis, including women;
                    (C) setting a detailed timeline and demonstrating 
                observable progress for completing the political 
                transition laid out in the Transitional Federal Charter 
                by 2009, including concrete and immediate steps toward 
                scheduling elections as a means of establishing a 
                democratically elected government that represents the 
                people of Somalia; and
                    (D) agreeing to participate in a political process 
                that is both transparent and inclusive, particularly of 
                women, and has international support that leads to the 
                formation of a government of national unity based on 
                the principles of democracy, accountability, and the 
                rule of law.
                                 <all>