Whereas armed groups have been moving freely among Sudan,
Chad, and the Central African Republic, committing murder, banditry, forced
recruitment, mass displacement, gender-based violence, and other crimes that
are contributing to insecurity and instability throughout the region,
exacerbating the humanitarian crises in these countries and obstructing efforts
to end violence in the Darfur region of Sudan and adjacent areas;
Whereas, on February 2, 2008, rebels stormed the capital
of Chad, N’Djamena, in their second coup attempt in two years, prompting
clashes with forces loyal to President of Chad Idriss Deby that caused more
than 100 civilian deaths, thousands of displacements, and an estimated 10,000
refugees from Chad to seek refuge in neighboring Cameroon;
Whereas, on February 2, 2008, the United States Embassy in
N’Djamena was forced to evacuate employees' families and all nonemergency staff
and urged United States citizens to defer all travel to Chad;
Whereas, on February 2, 2008, the United States Government
condemned the armed attack on N’Djamena and expressed support [for] the
[African Union]’s call for an immediate end to armed attacks and to refrain
from violence that might harm innocent civilians
;
Whereas, on February 12, 2008, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that recent offensives by the
Government of Sudan in Darfur have prompted up to 12,000 new refugees to flee
to neighboring Chad, where the UNHCR and its partners are already struggling to
take care of 240,000 refugees from Sudan in eastern Chad and some 50,000
refugees from the Central African Republic in southern Chad;
Whereas cross-border attacks by alleged Arab militias from
Sudan and related inter-communal ethnic hostilities in eastern Chad have also
resulted in the displacement of an estimated 170,000 people from Chad in the
region, adding to the humanitarian need;
Whereas there have been allegations and evidence in both
Chad and Sudan of government support for dissident rebel militias in each
other's country, in direct violation of the Tripoli Declaration of February 8,
2006, and the N’Djamena Agreement of July 26, 2006;
Whereas, on January 16, 2008, the United Nations
Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic reported that waves
of violence across the north of that country have left more than 1,000,000
people in need of humanitarian assistance, including 150,000 who are internally
displaced, while some 80,000 have fled to neighboring Chad or Cameroon;
Whereas, since late 2007, arrests, disappearances, and
harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, and opposition
leaders—particularly those reporting on military operations and human rights
conditions in eastern Chad—mirror the repressive crackdown in the aftermath of
an attack on N'Djamena in April 2006, and conditions have only worsened since
the February 2008 attempted coup;
Whereas, on September 27, 2007, the United Nations
Security Council passed Security Council Resolution 1778 (2007), authorizing a
limited United Nations peacekeeping mission (MINURCAT) and a concurrent
European-led force (EUFOR), which is permitted to take all necessary
measures
to protect refugees, civilians, and aid workers in eastern
Chad and northern Central African Republic;
Whereas, despite the explicit support of President Deby,
deployment of both the 3,700 EUFOR troops and the 350 MINURCAT officers has
been hampered by political and security delays as well as insufficient
resources; and
Whereas continuing hostilities will undermine efforts to
bring security to Sudan’s Darfur region, dangerously destabilize volatile
political and humanitarian situations in Chad and the Central African Republic,
and potentially disrupt progress towards peace in southern Sudan: Now,
therefore, be it
That the Senate—
(1)expresses the
concern and compassion of the citizens of the United States for the hundreds of
thousands of citizens of Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic who have
been gravely affected by this interrelated violence and instability;
(2)calls upon all
parties to these conflicts to cease hostilities immediately and uphold basic
human rights;
(3)urges the
governments of Chad and Sudan, with support from other key regional and
international stakeholders, including France, Libya, and China, to commit to
another round of inclusive negotiations towards a sustainable political
solution for national and regional stability facilitated and monitored by
impartial third-party leadership;
(4)calls upon the
governments of Chad and Sudan to reaffirm their commitment to the Tripoli
Declaration of February 8, 2006, and the N’Djamena Agreement of July 26, 2006,
refrain from any actions that violate these agreements, and cease all
logistical, financial, and military support to insurgent groups;
(5)urges the
Government of Chad to increase political participation, strengthen democratic
institutions, respect human rights, improve accountability and transparency as
well as the provision of basic services, and uphold its commitment to protect
its own citizens in order to redeem the legitimacy of the Government in the
eyes of its citizens and the international community;
(6)calls for
diplomatic and material support from the United States and the international
community to facilitate, implement, and monitor a comprehensive peace process
that includes an inclusive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders to end
violence, demobilize militias, and promote return and reconstruction for
internally displaced persons and refugees; and
(7)encourages the
United States Government and the international community to provide immediate
and ongoing support for the multilateral peacekeeping missions in Darfur,
eastern Chad, and the northern Central African Republic, along with adequate
assistance to meet the continuing humanitarian and security needs of the
individuals and areas most affected by these interrelated conflicts.