[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 14 (Friday, February 11, 1994)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: February 11, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
 FINAL OFFENSIVE BY SUDANESE GOVERNMENT DEMANDS UNITED STATES ATTENTION

                                 ______


                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, February 11, 1994

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, the urgency of the humanitarian crisis in 
Sudan cannot be overestimated. As the Washington Post reported February 
6, the Sudanese Government has launched a final offensive against the 
south, causing 100,000 new refugees to flee to Uganda and leaving 2 
million people at risk of starvation because of the imminent shut down 
of Operation Lifeline Sudan [OLS]. OLS represents a number of 
nongovernmental relief organizations working under the authority of the 
United Nations to provide the bulk of relief to southern Sudan.
  This weekend's report confirms the December prediction of a long-term 
relief worker assessing the outcome of such a large-scale offensive:

       It is most probable that virtually all Operation Lifeline 
     Sudan (OLS) will be forced to shut down, and the government 
     will insist that all relief work be carried out through their 
     own channels * * * Needless to say, this would be 
     catastrophic for the people of the south, who at this time 
     are extremely vulnerable and almost totally dependent upon 
     the OLS pipeline aid. Deaths from starvation and sickness 
     would dwarf anything we've seen in the past.

  I applaud Representative Harry Johnston's efforts to draw attention 
to the crisis and to bring the southern rebel leaders to Washington for 
peace negotiations during the ``Sudan: The Forgotten Tragedy'' 
conference last fall. Representative Johnston was also tireless in 
pressing for the passage of his bill, House Concurrent Resolution 131, 
condemning the genocide of Sudan and calling for U.N. Security Council 
action. Sadly, the situation has rapidly deteriorated since the 
important congressional attention of last fall.
  It is now estimated by the United States Committee for Refugees that 
1.3 million civilians in southern Sudan have died over the past 10 
years as a direct result of civil war and the Sudan Government's 
genocidal policies against its citizens in the south. That is nearly 
2,500 deaths every week for the past 10 years.
  As many of my colleagues know, I have witnessed first hand the 
massive suffering occurring in southern Sudan, located in the Horn of 
Africa. My most recent trip there was last February, when I traveled to 
southern Sudan with the assistance of the United States Committee for 
Refugees, Norwegian People's Aid, a humanitarian relief organization, 
and Catholic Relief Services.
  I have stood on the floor of the House many times in the past, trying 
to describe to you the malnutrition, the disease, the massive 
population displacement, the gruesome effects of war, and human rights 
abuse that I have witnessed in Sudan. The reality in Sudan is difficult 
to describe, because it beggars description.

  The new report by the U.S. Committee for Refugees, estimating that 
1.3 million southern Sudanese have perished since 1983, is yet another 
indication that southern Sudan is hell on Earth due to the 
unconscionable policies of the Sudanese Government and in-fighting 
between rebel groups. I hasten to point out that the U.S. Committee for 
Refugees is a highly respected organization whose reports on refugee 
emergencies worldwide are reliable, credible, and authoritative. I have 
long had the highest regard for the U.S. Committee for Refugees, 
particularly for its tireless reporting, analysis, and advocacy on the 
tragic situation in Sudan.
  This exhaustive report, ``Quantifying Genocide in the Southern Sudan: 
1983-1993'' by Millard Burr of the U.S. Committee on Refugees, is based 
on systematic compilation of year-by-year field reports and internal 
Sudanese documents. It concludes that the death toll in Sudan is, 
sadly, not diminishing. The report estimates that some 300,000 persons 
died in southern Sudan during 1992 and the first 5 months of 1993--
nearly 4,000 deaths per week for 17 months--making it one of the 
deadliest periods ever in Sudan.
  One of every five southern Sudanese has died from the war or from 
war-related causes, according to the report, and 4 of every 5 southern 
Sudanese have been uprooted from their homes at some time since 1983. 
More than 300,000 southern Sudanese are refugees, and some 5 million 
Sudanese from the south and north are internally displaced.
  Mr. Speaker, I must repeat what I said on the House floor last 
November: We have a responsibility to continue to demand justice in 
Sudan, because we can no longer say that we don't know what's happening 
there. This thorough report by the U.S. Committee for Refugees tells us 
all too clearly.
  This House acted responsibly last November when we passed House 
concurrent resolution 131, which condemned the Government of Sudan for 
its severe human rights abuses and deplored the bloody internecine 
fighting among factions of the rebel Sudanese People's Liberation Army. 
A great deal of work went into that resolution, including work and 
analysis by the U.S. Committee for Refugees. This newest report, 
``Quantifying Genocide in the Southern Sudan,'' reminds all of us that 
we cannot cease our efforts. Men, women, and children continue to 
perish in southern Sudan as we speak.
  I will distribute this report to members of the Human Rights Caucus 
of the House of Representatives. Others who are interested need only 
contact my office or the U.S. Committee for Refugees. I respectfully 
urge my colleagues and their appropriate staff persons to pay attention 
to this authoritative report, and I commend the U.S. Committee for 
Refugees for its diligence on behalf of the people of southern Sudan.
  In closing, I want to say that time is of the essence. Many are dying 
daily in Sudan as the government continues its new offensive, and it is 
crucial that this crisis receive Security Council attention very soon. 
Congressman Johnston, other Members and I will be asking to meet with 
President Clinton soon to press for U.N. action as well as the 
appointment of a special envoy for peacebrokering in the region. It 
must happen soon, because every day so many are dying.

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