[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 76 Introduced in Senate (IS)]







110th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 76

Calling on the United States Government and the international community 
   to promptly develop, fund, and implement a comprehensive regional 
   strategy in Africa to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian 
 operations, contain and reduce violence, and contribute to conditions 
 for sustainable peace in eastern Chad, the Central African Republic, 
                           and Darfur, Sudan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 8, 2007

  Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Sununu, and Mr. Levin) submitted the 
 following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign 
                               Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Calling on the United States Government and the international community 
   to promptly develop, fund, and implement a comprehensive regional 
   strategy in Africa to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian 
 operations, contain and reduce violence, and contribute to conditions 
 for sustainable peace in eastern Chad, the Central African Republic, 
                           and Darfur, Sudan.

Whereas armed groups have been moving freely between Sudan, Chad, and the 
        Central African Republic, committing murder and engaging in banditry, 
        forced recruitment of soldiers, and gender-based violence;
Whereas these and other crimes 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 January 5, 2007, the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 
        (UNHCR) reported that cross-border attacks by alleged Arab militias from 
        Sudan and related intercommunal ethnic hostilities in eastern Chad had 
        resulted in the displacement of an estimated 20,000 people from Chad 
        during the previous 2 weeks and posed a direct threat to camps housing 
        refugees from Sudan;
Whereas these new internally displaced Chadians have strained the resources of 
        12 UNHCR-run camps in eastern Chad that are already serving more than 
        100,000 internally displaced Chadians and 230,000 refugees from Darfur 
        and providing humanitarian support and protection to more than 46,000 
        refugees from the Central African Republic in southern Chad;
Whereas Chadian gendarmes responsible for providing security in and around the 
        12 UNHCR-run camps in eastern Chad are too few in number, too poorly 
        equipped, and too besieged by Chadian rebel actions to carry out 
        critical protection efforts sufficiently;
Whereas on January 16, 2007, the United Nations' Humanitarian Coordinator for 
        the Central African Republic reported that waves of violence across the 
        north 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 in a Presidential Statement issued on January 16, 2007 (S/PRST/2007/2), 
        the United Nations Security Council reiterated its ``concern about the 
        continuing instability along the borders between the Sudan, Chad and the 
        Central African Republic and about the threat which this poses to the 
        safety of the civilian population and the conduct of humanitarian 
        operations'' and requested ``that the Secretary-General deploy as soon 
        as possible an advance mission to Chad and the Central African Republic, 
        in consultation with their Governments'';
Whereas the Presidential Statement acknowledged ``the position taken by the 
        Central African and Chadian authorities in favor in principle of such a 
        presence and looks forward to their continued engagement in preparing 
        for it'';
Whereas a December 22, 2006, report of the United Nations Secretary-General (S/
        2006/1019) expressed a need to address the rapidly deteriorating 
        security situation of Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic and 
        to protect civilians in the border areas of Sudan, Chad, and the Central 
        African Republic and recommended a robust mission that ``would, among 
        other tasks: facilitate the political process; protect civilians; 
        monitor the human rights situation; and strengthen the local judicial, 
        police and correctional system'';
Whereas the December 22, 2006, report went on to recommend that the force also 
        be mandated and equipped to deter attacks by armed groups and react 
        preemptively to protect civilians, including refugees and internally 
        displaced persons, with rapid reaction capabilities;
Whereas on August 30, 2006, the United Nations Security Council passed Security 
        Council Resolution 1706 (2006), authorizing a multidimensional presence 
        consisting of political, humanitarian, military and civilian police 
        liaison officers in key locations in Chad, including in the internally 
        displaced persons and refugee camps and, if necessary, in the Central 
        African Republic;
Whereas continuing hostilities will undermine efforts to bring security to the 
        Darfur region of Sudan, dangerously destabilize volatile political and 
        humanitarian situations in Chad and the Central African Republic, and 
        potentially disrupt progress towards peace in southern Sudan;
Whereas a December 2006 United Nations assessment mission report outlined 
        possibilities for a mission in Chad, including a force large enough to 
        monitor the border, deter attacks, and provide civilian protection;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council has requested proposals for a United 
        Nations force in Chad and the Central African Republic to help protect 
        and provide humanitarian assistance to tens of thousands of civilians 
        affected by the conflict that began in Darfur; and
Whereas a technical assessment mission was dispatched in January 2007 toward 
        that end: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) expresses concern for the more than 1,000,000 citizens 
        of Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic who have been 
        adversely affected by this interrelated violence and 
        instability;
            (2) calls upon the Governments of Chad and Sudan--
                    (A) to reaffirm their commitment to the Tripoli 
                Declaration of February 8, 2006, and the N'Djamena 
                Agreement of July 26, 2006;
                    (B) to refrain from any actions that violate these 
                agreements; and
                    (C) to cease all logistical, financial, and 
                military support to each others' insurgent groups;
            (3) urges the Government of Chad to improve accountability 
        and transparency as well as the provision of basic services to 
        redeem the legitimacy of the Government in the eyes of its 
        citizens;
            (4) urges the Government of Chad to take action to increase 
        political participation and to strengthen democratic 
        institutions to ensure that all segments of society in Chad can 
        participate in and benefit from a transparent, open, and 
        capable government;
            (5) urges the Government of Chad, the Government of Sudan, 
        and other key regional and international stakeholders to commit 
        to another round of inclusive political negotiations that can 
        bring lasting peace and stability to the region;
            (6) calls upon the President to advocate for the 
        appointment of a senior United Nations official to direct and 
        coordinate all international humanitarian activities on both 
        sides of Sudan's western border and expand the response to 
        emergency needs related to the political and humanitarian 
        situation in the Central African Republic;
            (7) urges the President to utilize the resources and 
        leverage at the President's disposal to press for the immediate 
        deployment of an advance mission to eastern Chad to lay the 
        groundwork for a robust multilateral and multidimensional 
        presence;
            (8) urges the United Nations Security Council to authorize 
        a multilateral and multidimensional peacekeeping force to 
        eastern Chad with the mandate and means--
                    (A) to ensure effective protection of civilians, 
                particularly refugees and internally displaced persons, 
                including by preempting, preventing, and deterring 
                attacks on civilians;
                    (B) to organize regular patrols along the western 
                border of Sudan and implement practical protection 
                measures for asylum seekers;
                    (C) to maintain the civilian and humanitarian 
                nature of the internally displaced persons and refugee 
                camps in Chad and facilitate the efforts of aid 
                workers;
                    (D) to deter, monitor, investigate, and report 
                attacks on humanitarian personnel and assets;
                    (E) to provide around the clock physical security 
                in the camps and surrounding areas, including organized 
                patrols to guarantee freedom of movement to all 
                civilians and humanitarian workers;
                    (F) to coordinate and share information with 
                humanitarian organizations, actively preserve 
                unhindered humanitarian access to all displaced 
                persons, and ensure the safety of all humanitarian 
                workers in accordance with international humanitarian 
                law;
                    (G) to collect and report evidence of human rights 
                violations and perpetrators to the United Nations on a 
                timely and regular basis; and
                    (H) to support domestic and multilateral 
                initiatives to strengthen local judicial, police, and 
                correctional systems in Chad; and
            (9) urges the President and the international community to 
        coordinate efforts to make available sufficient resources in 
        support of this multilateral and multidimensional mission, as 
        well as adequate assistance to meet the continuing humanitarian 
        and security needs of the individuals and areas most affected 
        by this conflict.
                                 <all>