[Congressional Bills 115th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 114 Introduced in Senate (IS)]
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115th CONGRESS
1st Session
S. RES. 114
Expressing the sense of the Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria,
Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 5 (legislative day, April 4), 2017
Mr. Young (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
RESOLUTION
Expressing the sense of the Senate on humanitarian crises in Nigeria,
Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen.
Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in famine, pre-famine,
or ``at risk of famine'' stages in 2017;
Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of
Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 20,000,000 people are at risk of
starvation within the next six months in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan,
and Yemen;
Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-General of the
International Committee of the Red Cross, testified that the crisis
represents ``one of the most critical humanitarian issues to face
mankind since the end of the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are
at the brink of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in recent
history'';
Whereas, according to the United States Agency for International Development
(USAID), ``More than 5.1 million people face severe food insecurity in
northeastern Nigeria'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million people--more than half
of Somalia's total population--currently require urgent humanitarian
assistance.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million people--nearly half of
South Sudan's population--will face life threatening hunger by July.'';
Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than seventeen million people--an
astounding 60% of the country's population--are food insecure, including
seven million people who are unable to survive without food
assistance.'';
Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF), ``Some 22
million children have been left hungry, sick, displaced and out of
school in the four countries. Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of
death this year from severe malnutrition.'';
Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions are, to varying
degrees, man-made and preventable--exacerbated by armed conflict,
disregard for international humanitarian law, and deliberate
restrictions on humanitarian access;
Whereas parties to the conflicts have harassed, attacked, and killed
humanitarian workers, blocking and hindering humanitarian access and
depriving the world's most hungry people of the food they need;
Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by UNOCHA, are appealing for
$5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in Yemen, South Sudan,
Nigeria, and Somalia, $4,400,000,000 of which is required urgently; and
Whereas Mr. Daccord testified on March 22, 2017, ``Our message is clear:
immediate, decisive action is needed to prevent vast numbers of people
starving to death.'': Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That--
(1) it is the sense of the Senate that--
(A) United States national security interests and
the values of the American people demand that the
United States lead an urgent and comprehensive
international diplomatic effort to address obstacles in
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen that are
preventing humanitarian aid from being delivered to
millions of people who desperately need it;
(B) the President should encourage other
governments to join the United States in providing the
resources necessary to meet the $5,600,000,000 UNOCHA
appeal to address the humanitarian crises in Nigeria,
Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
(C) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia,
South Sudan, and Yemen must respect fully international
humanitarian law by allowing and facilitating rapid and
unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians
in need and respecting and protecting humanitarian and
medical relief personnel and objects; and
(D) the President, working with international
partners, should work to identify and document
violations of international humanitarian law in
Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen seeking to
bring perpetrators to justice where possible; and
(2) the Senate--
(A) urges the President, in close coordination with
international partners, to employ every appropriate
strategy to persuade the Government of South Sudan to
stop blocking aid for people who desperately need it;
(B) calls on the President to notify Congress
without delay if the Government of South Sudan does not
immediately and fully respect international
humanitarian law so that Congress can work with the
President to impose additional costs on the government
and leaders of South Sudan for their deplorable
actions;
(C) urges the President to press the Government of
Nigeria to take tangible and immediate steps to ensure
accountability for security forces that violate human
rights and fail to cooperate fully with international
aid efforts;
(D) calls on the President to send the Secretary of
State or other high level representative to attend the
upcoming United Kingdom's Ministerial Conference on
Somalia and publicly announce a contribution to the
humanitarian assistance efforts which will help
leverage other international donors; and
(E) urges the President to work urgently with
stakeholders to persuade parties to conflict in Yemen
to permit humanitarian groups increased access to Red
Sea ports like Hodeida to deliver much-needed
assistance to vulnerable communities.
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