[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Res. 1019 Introduced in House (IH)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
H. RES. 1019

 Recognizing the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive 
Peace Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Sudan and 
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and calling for urgent and 
     aggressive actions to establish peace in all regions of Sudan.


_______________________________________________________________________


                    IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

                            January 20, 2010

 Mr. Smith of New Jersey (for himself, Ms. Ros-Lehtinen, and Mr. Wolf) 
submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee 
                           on Foreign Affairs

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
 Recognizing the fifth anniversary of the signing of the Comprehensive 
Peace Agreement between the Government of the Republic of the Sudan and 
the Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army and calling for urgent and 
     aggressive actions to establish peace in all regions of Sudan.

Whereas, on January 9, 2005, the Government of the Republic of the Sudan and the 
        Sudan People's Liberation Movement/Army (SPLM/A) signed the 
        Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) for Sudan in Nairobi, Kenya;
Whereas the CPA ostensibly ended a war between the government in the north and 
        former rebels in the south of Sudan that lasted over 20 years and 
        resulted in the deaths of over 2,000,000 people and the displacement of 
        over 4,000,000 people;
Whereas the CPA acknowledges that the Sudan war was the longest running conflict 
        in Africa and ``caused tragic loss of life, destroyed the country's 
        infrastructure, eroded its economic resources and caused suffering to 
        the Sudanese people'';
Whereas the CPA recognizes the ``urgent need to bring peace and security to the 
        people of the Sudan who have endured this conflict for far too long'';
Whereas the CPA states the commitment of the parties to a negotiated settlement 
        on the basis of a democratic system of governance which, on the one 
        hand, recognizes the right of the people of Southern Sudan to self-
        determination, while at the same time ``is founded on the values of 
        justice, democracy, good governance, respect for fundamental rights and 
        freedoms of the individual, mutual understanding and tolerance of 
        diversity within the realities of the Sudan'';
Whereas the CPA sets forth important political and security arrangements, 
        including the establishment of an interim government of national unity 
        and an autonomous Government of Southern Sudan, wealth sharing between 
        the north and the south, legal protections for non-Muslims living in the 
        Capital, demarcation of the north-south boundary, a permanent ceasefire, 
        redeployment of forces and establishment of Joint Integrated Units, a 
        national census and national elections, and a 2011 referendum on 
        possible secession for Southern Sudan;
Whereas the United States played a key role in the negotiation of the CPA, was 
        one of the four observer countries, together with Italy, Norway, and the 
        United Kingdom, to witness the signing of the CPA, and is represented on 
        the Assessment and Evaluation Commission established to monitor the 
        implementation of the CPA;
Whereas a major factor in the successful negotiation of the CPA was the 
        coordinated and aggressive effort by the international community, led by 
        the United States, to urge the parties to reach a peace agreement;
Whereas the United States continues to lead diplomatic efforts bilaterally and 
        multilaterally to help bring about a truly comprehensive and lasting 
        peace in Sudan and has provided nearly $9,000,000,000 in humanitarian, 
        development, and peacekeeping assistance toward this end since 2004;
Whereas not all the parties to the conflict in Sudan were a party to the CPA;
Whereas in 2003, even as the CPA was being negotiated, the Sudanese regime 
        unleashed a genocidal campaign in the Darfur region of Sudan, in which 
        over 300,000 Darfuris have died and nearly 3,000,000 have been 
        displaced;
Whereas the National Congress Party (NCP), formerly the National Islamic Front 
        (NIF), which controls the government in Khartoum, has announced its 
        intention to forcibly return or relocate the internally displaced 
        persons in Darfur, thereby threatening to deny them access to 
        humanitarian assistance;
Whereas the conflicts in Darfur and southern Sudan are inextricably linked, and 
        if the CPA fails there can be little hope for peace in Darfur;
Whereas numerous key aspects of the CPA have not been implemented in the 
        timeframe specified, with elections scheduled for April 2010 and the 
        referendum on independence for southern Sudan scheduled for January 
        2011;
Whereas the NCP, to date, has blocked passage of legal reforms that are 
        necessary to ensure free and fair elections, including safeguards to 
        prevent the arrest and detention of members of the political opposition;
Whereas while expectations for peace dividends in the south are high, the 
        Government of Southern Sudan faces the greatest post-conflict 
        reconstruction challenges in modern times, including basic 
        infrastructure, executive leadership, financial, natural and human 
        resources management, and equitable social service access;
Whereas it is reported that over 2,000 Sudanese were killed and 250,000 were 
        displaced in southern Sudan due to intercommunal violence in 2009, thus 
        threatening peace within southern Sudan;
Whereas a coalition of aid agencies working in southern Sudan issued a briefing 
        paper on January 7, 2010, stating that the CPA is ``extremely fragile 
        and violence is again increasing. The humanitarian situation, already 
        one of the worst in the world, is deteriorating; and in the eyes of most 
        ordinary southerners, meaningful post-war development has been absent'', 
        adding that the next 12 months are crucial, and that ``with concerted 
        and immediate action, the parties to the CPA and the international 
        community can, and must, prevent a return to a devastating conflict.'';
Whereas a return to war in Sudan would likely spread violence into Chad, the 
        Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Uganda, 
        and beyond, thereby raising extreme concern of a regional conflagration; 
        and
Whereas the international community has a short and critically important time 
        period in which to pressure the parties to the CPA, and particularly the 
        Bashir regime, to uphold their commitments under the CPA and more 
        importantly, to avert another war in Sudan and establish the foundations 
        for a lasting and stable peace throughout the country: Now, therefore, 
        be it
    Resolved, That the House of Representatives--
            (1) recognizes the fifth anniversary of the signing of the 
        Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of 
        the Republic of the Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation 
        Movement/Army on January 9, 2005;
            (2) calls on both parties to implement immediately their 
        respective obligations under the CPA, in accordance with the 
        terms and timeline established therein;
            (3) urges the United States to establish and adhere to 
        specified measures to be taken against the respective parties 
        if and when they fail to implement the CPA in accordance with 
        the terms and timeline established therein, and to implement a 
        more robust set of multilateral measures against those 
        individuals who act as obstructionists to peace, including 
        those who continue to sell arms to belligerents in Sudan;
            (4) urges the President of the United States and the 
        Secretary of State to intervene at the highest levels within 
        the international community, both multilaterally and 
        bilaterally with key governments including China, India, and 
        certain members of the Arab League, to reinvigorate 
        international support and pressure on all parties for the 
        establishment of a durable peace in Sudan;
            (5) urges the United States to reinvigorate the 
        international commitment to achieving peace in Sudan that 
        contributed to the signing of the CPA by engaging relevant 
        parties at all levels on an urgent basis through political and 
        diplomatic means;
            (6) urges the United States to pursue a broader, carefully 
        calibrated engagement within Sudan to include key players who 
        were not parties to the CPA;
            (7) urges the United States to actively encourage greater 
        international support for capacity-building in southern Sudan, 
        with appropriate measures to ensure accountability and 
        transparency;
            (8) urges the United States to insist that the National 
        Congress Party (NCP) guarantee secure humanitarian access to 
        all areas of Darfur and to ensure the ability of humanitarian 
        organizations to publicize their assessments without reprisals;
            (9) urges the United States to impress upon the NCP that 
        internally displaced persons in Darfur are not to be forcibly 
        returned to their villages or relocated;
            (10) urges the United States to ensure that all peace 
        processes within Sudan respect the rights and dignity of all 
        Sudanese, including those in northern Sudan, eastern Sudan, 
        southern Kordofan, Abyei, and Blue Nile regions;
            (11) recognizes the critical role of religious communities 
        in providing peace education and facilitating reconciliation at 
        all levels of Sudanese society, as well as the important 
        contribution of faith-based organizations in the provision of 
        humanitarian assistance throughout Sudan; and
            (12) urges all parties in Sudan to cease all hostile 
        activities and to fully commit to establishing a durable peace 
        throughout the country.
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