[Congressional Bills 111th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 404 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

111th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 404

Supporting full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and 
 other efforts to promote peace and stability in Sudan, and for other 
                               purposes.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 1, 2010

Mr. Feingold (for himself, Mr. Brownback, Mr. Wicker, Mrs. Gillibrand, 
   Mrs. Boxer, Ms. Landrieu, Mr. Byrd, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Merkley, Mr. 
 Sanders, Mr. Lieberman, Mr. Whitehouse, Mr. Bayh, Mr. Cardin, and Mr. 
 Casey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION


 
Supporting full implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement and 
 other efforts to promote peace and stability in Sudan, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas violent civil conflict between North and South in Sudan raged for 21 
        years, resulting in the deaths of an estimated 2,000,000 people and 
        displacement of another 4,000,000 people;
Whereas the signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) by the National 
        Congress Party (NCP) and Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) on 
        January 9, 2005, brought a formal end to that civil war;
Whereas the United States Government, particularly through the efforts of the 
        President's Special Envoy for Sudan Jack Danforth, worked closely with 
        the parties, the mediator, General Lazaro Sumbeiywo, the members of the 
        Intergovernmental Authority on Development (IGAD), and the United 
        Kingdom and Norway to bring about the CPA;
Whereas the CPA established a 6-year interim period during which the Government 
        of Sudan would undertake significant democratic reforms and hold 
        national elections, and at the end of which the South would hold a 
        referendum on self-determination, with the option to forge an 
        independent state;
Whereas, while the parties have made progress on several parts of the CPA, 
        limited national government reforms have been made and several key 
        issues remain outstanding, notably border demarcation, resolution of the 
        census dispute, and certain preparations for the 2011 referenda for 
        southern Sudan and Abyei;
Whereas the NCP's delay and refusal to follow through on some of its commitments 
        under the CPA has fueled mistrust and suspicion, increasing tensions 
        between northern and southern Sudan;
Whereas research by the Small Arms Survey, published as recently as December 
        2009, shows that both sides are building up their security forces and 
        covertly stockpiling weapons in anticipation of a possible return to 
        civil war;
Whereas the Government of Southern Sudan continues to face a range of challenges 
        and continues to struggle with problems of financial management, 
        insufficient capacity, and a limited ability to provide security in 
        parts of its territory, especially in the face of increasing inter-
        ethnic and communal violence;
Whereas humanitarian organizations and the United Nations report that more than 
        2,500 people were killed and an additional 350,000 displaced by inter-
        ethnic and communal violence within southern Sudan throughout 2009;
Whereas the Lord's Resistance Army, a brutal rebel group formed in northern 
        Uganda, has reportedly resumed and increased attacks against civilians 
        in southern Sudan, creating another security challenge in the region;
Whereas the Government of Southern Sudan and the United Nations Mission (UNMIS) 
        have not taken adequate steps to address the rising insecurity and to 
        protect civilians in southern Sudan;
Whereas, despite 5 years of peace, most of southern Sudan remains severely 
        underdeveloped with communities lacking access to essential services 
        such as water, health care, livelihood opportunities, and 
        infrastructure;
Whereas Sudan is scheduled to hold national elections in April 2010, and the 
        people of southern Sudan and Abyei are to hold their referendum on self-
        determination in January 2011 under the terms of the CPA;
Whereas the holding of these elections, Sudan's first multiparty elections in 24 
        years, could be a historic milestone for the country and a step toward 
        genuine democratic transformation if the elections are fair and free and 
        all communities are able to participate;
Whereas the existence of laws that grant powers to government security services 
        in Sudan to arrest and detain citizens without charge and recent actions 
        taken by the security forces to restrict freedom of speech and assembly 
        by opposition parties have raised concerns that conditions may not exist 
        for fair and free elections in Sudan;
Whereas the conflict in Darfur is still unresolved, the security situation 
        remains volatile, and armed parties continue to commit humanitarian and 
        human rights violations in the region, raising concerns that conditions 
        may not exist for Darfurians to freely and safely participate in the 
        elections; and
Whereas the security situation in the whole of Sudan has profound implications 
        for the stability of neighboring countries, including Chad, the Central 
        African Republic, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Ethiopia, 
        Kenya, and Uganda: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) acknowledges the critical importance of preventing a 
        renewed North-South civil war in Sudan, which would have 
        catastrophic humanitarian consequences for all of Sudan and 
        could destabilize the wider region;
            (2) supports the efforts of President Barack Obama to 
        reinvigorate and strengthen international engagement on 
        implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA);
            (3) encourages all international envoys and 
        representatives, including those of the permanent members of 
        the United Nations Security Council, IGAD, the African Union, 
        and the United Nations, to work closely together and coordinate 
        their efforts to bolster the peace accord;
            (4) calls on the parties in Sudan--
                    (A) to comply fully with their commitments under 
                the CPA;
                    (B) to refrain from actions that could escalate 
                tensions in the run-up to the 2011 referendum;
                    (C) to work expeditiously to resolve outstanding 
                issues of the agreement; and
                    (D) to begin negotiations to resolve post-referenda 
                issues, including resource allocation and citizenship 
                rights in the case of separation;
            (5) calls on the Government of National Unity to amend or 
        repeal laws and avoid any further actions that would unduly 
        restrict the freedom of speech and assembly by opposition 
        parties or the full participation of communities, including 
        those in Darfur, in the upcoming national elections;
            (6) encourages the international community and the United 
        Nations to engage with local populations to provide assistance 
        for elections in Sudan and popular consultations while also 
        closely monitoring and speaking out against any actions by the 
        Government of Sudan or its security forces to restrict or deny 
        participation in a credible elections process;
            (7) calls on the Government of Southern Sudan to work with 
        the assistance of the international community to design and 
        begin implementing a long-term plan for security sector reform 
        that includes the transformation of the army and police into 
        modern security organs and the training of all security forces 
        in human rights and civilian protection;
            (8) urges the United Nations Security Council to direct and 
        assist the UNMIS peacekeepers to better monitor and work to 
        prevent violence in southern Sudan and to prioritize civilian 
        protection in decisions about the use of available capacity and 
        resources;
            (9) supports increased efforts by the United States 
        Government, other donors, and the United Nations to assist the 
        Government of Southern Sudan to improve its governing capacity, 
        strengthen its financial accountability, build critical 
        infrastructure, and expand service delivery;
            (10) urges the President to work with the permanent members 
        of the United Nations Security Council, other governments, and 
        regional organizations at the highest levels to develop a 
        coordinated multilateral strategy to promote peaceful change 
        and full implementation of the CPA; and
            (11) encourages the President and other international 
        leaders to strategize and develop contingency plans now for all 
        eventualities, including in the event that the CPA process 
        breaks down or large-scale violence breaks out in Sudan before 
        or after the 2011 referendum, as well as for longer term 
        development in the region following the referendum.
                                 <all>