[Congressional Record Volume 146, Number 137 (Friday, October 27, 2000)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1963]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                      S. 1453, THE SUDAN PEACH ACT

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. J.C. WATTS, JR.

                              of oklahoma

                    in the house of representatives

                       Thursday, October 26, 2000

  Mr. WATTS of Oklahoma. Mr. Speaker, as a sponsor of the House 
companion bill, H.R. 2906, I submit the following statement in writing 
in strong support of S. 1453, The Sudan Peace Act.
  I regret that I was unable to be here to speak on the floor in 
support of this essential legislation. As some know, my father's health 
is precarious at this time, and I needed to be at his side yesterday, 
supporting him and the other members of my family. I appreciate the 
consideration of the House to accept this statement into the Record.
  This bill addresses a devastating situation in the largest country on 
the continent of Africa. The Sudan has been at war for decades, and two 
million lives have been lost in the last ten years alone due to war-
related causes and famine, while millions more have been displaced from 
their homes to become refugees within their own country and surrounding 
nations.
  The National Islamic Front government of Sudan is steadfast in its 
efforts to oppress and even eliminate the predominantly Christian and 
animist southern Sudanese people. Slavery of children and adults is 
rampant, and forced conversion of the Islamic faith is reported to be 
commonplace, as is the arrest of individuals for their religious 
beliefs.
  While the United Nations established Operation Lifeline Sudan in 1989 
to address the humanitarian crisis in the South, the Islamic government 
has consistently interfered with delivery of food and medicine into 
southern Sudan, including the Nuba Mountains and the Upper and Blue 
Nile regions. In fact, one of the fundamental problems with the current 
Operation Lifeline Sudan relief effort is that the U.N. has given the 
government of Sudan veto power over relief efforts. In addition, 
government troops have bombed international relief sites, schools, and 
other civilian areas in the south in an attempt to disrupt distribution 
of desperately needed humanitarian supplies. There is a severe drought 
in the Horn of Africa, and the World Food Program has estimated that 
nearly 2 million Sudanese will require food aid this year, but 
international relief efforts are being prohibited, disrupted and even 
bombed by the Sudanese government in an attempt to bring the non-Muslim 
populace of Sudan to heel.
  S. 1453, as amended by the House, addresses the most egregious 
aspects of this conflict. The Sudan Peace Act condemns violations of 
human rights on both sides of the conflict and the ongoing slave trade 
in the Sudan. In addition, this legislation calls for reforming relief 
efforts, like Operation Lifeline Sudan that are being manipulated by 
the Sudanese government as a ``weapon of war'' against its people, in 
order to ensure delivery of humanitarian aid to the civilian 
population. In addition, it is already evident that the government of 
Sudan is using investment in their oil industry to fund their continued 
attacks, or jihad, on the non-Muslim civilian population. The Sudan 
Peace Act would also prohibit Sudan, or entities doing business in 
Sudan, from raising funds in U.S. capital markets. I want to commend 
the President for taking a moral stand in this conflict back in 1997, 
and urge my colleagues to build on the Administration's efforts by 
passing S. 1453 today to codify the economic sanctions put in place by 
Presidential Directive in November of 1997.
  Mr. Speaker, I ask my colleagues to stand against state-sanctioned 
enslavement and religious persecution by passing the House amendments 
to S. 1453. We must ensure that every effort is made to get 
humanitarian aid to a starving populace. The IGAD peace process must be 
encouraged, and the fundamental human rights of the men, women and 
children of Sudan must be protected. I urge my colleagues on both sides 
of the Hill to support the House-amended S. 1453, The Sudan Peace Act, 
and send this bill to the President for signature before recessing this 
session.