Whereas Sudan is geographically the largest country in
Africa;
Whereas among Sudan’s 36,900,000 population, 85 percent of
southern Sudan’s population and 46 percent of northern Sudan’s population live
below the poverty line;
Whereas the vast majority of northern Sudanese are Muslims
while southern Sudanese are mainly Christians or practice traditional
religions;
Whereas military regimes favoring Islamic-oriented
governments have dominated national politics since Sudan’s independence from
Egypt and the United Kingdom in 1956;
Whereas in 1989, President Omar Al-Bashir seized power in
a military coup;
Whereas Sudan has been ravaged by civil war intermittently
for 4 decades;
Whereas the abrogation in 1983 of the 1972 Addis Ababa
Agreement, which had ended the first phase of the civil war in the south, is
considered a major factor triggering the civil war;
Whereas 20 years of conflict and famine have left an
estimated 2,000,000 people dead and 4,000,000 displaced;
Whereas the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA), signed in
January 2005, established a semi-autonomous government for southern Sudan and
ended the conflict between the northern and southern parts of Sudan;
Whereas under the CPA, the 2 sides agreed on a 6-year
transition period, after which southern Sudan would vote for secession or unity
in a referendum;
Whereas 3,800,000 people were registered for the Southern
Sudan referendum;
Whereas these southern Sudanese exercised their right of
self determination, recognized in the United Nations Charter and the Universal
Declaration on Human Rights, by participating in the Southern Sudan referendum
held from January 9, 2011, to January 15, 2011;
Whereas, on February 7, 2011, the Southern Sudan
Referendum Commission (SSRC) submitted the final results of the referendum to
Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir;
Whereas 98.83 percent of southern Sudanese voted in favor
of independence from northern Sudan;
Whereas Sudan President Omar Al-Bashir officially accepted
the final results of the referendum on February 7, 2011;
Whereas the nation of Southern Sudan will become
independent on July 9, 2011;
Whereas, on February 7, 2011, the United States announced
its intention to formally recognize Southern Sudan as an independent nation in
July 2011;
Whereas the nation of Southern Sudan will be officially
named the Republic of Southern Sudan;
Whereas a simultaneous referendum was supposed to be held
in the oil rich Abyei, a region of contention between the northern and southern
parts of Sudan, on whether to retain its current status or become part of
Southern Sudan;
Whereas the referendum in Abyei has been postponed due to
disagreements between the parties;
Whereas remaining issues relating to the implementation of
the CPA must be resolved prior to conclusion of the transition period;
and
Whereas the legal status of populations in the north and
south, wealth sharing, resource management, especially oil revenues, division
of assets and debt, currency, and security arrangements must be agreed upon to
prevent a potential spark of violence: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of
Representatives—
(1)congratulates the
people of Southern Sudan for exercising their right to self
determination;
(2)welcomes the new
nation of Southern Sudan;
(3)urges both parties
to work with the African Union High Level Implementation Panel and its Chairman
President Thabo Mbeki to finalize the separation arrangements, prior to the
conclusion of the transition period;
(4)calls for a peaceful separation of southern
Sudan from northern Sudan;
(5)condemns any form of violence as an
instrument to pursue political objectives;
(6)urges that the
future status of the Abyei region be resolved fairly and in a transparent
manner;
(7)calls on the
Government of Southern Sudan to create democratic institutions, plan elections,
build infrastructures, and ensure the protection and well-being of its
citizens;
(8)urges the Government of Sudan to put an end
to repression and violence in the region and abide by the principles of
democracy, peace, and human rights;
(9)pledges that the
United States will work with the Governments of Sudan and Southern Sudan to
ensure a peaceful transition to independence;
(10)calls on the United States Government to
appoint an Ambassador to Southern Sudan; and
(11)encourages other
nations to welcome the new state of Southern Sudan and assist with the
transition process.