[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 12, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1462]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




  SUPPORTING THE GOALS AND IDEALS OF A NATIONAL WEEKEND OF PRAYER AND 
                      REFLECTION FOR DARFUR, SUDAN

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. ALCEE L. HASTINGS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 11, 2005

  Mr. HASTINGS of Florida. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to encourage my 
fellow citizens to engage in a National Weekend of Prayer and 
Reflection (in recognition of the genocide occurring in Darfur, Sudan). 
Our Congress on July 22, 2004 and the Bush Administration on September 
21, 2004 has condemned the acts in Darfur as genocide and Congress has 
appropriately provided humanitarian assistance in Darfur. Today, the 
House is urging our nation to observe a Weekend of Prayer and 
Reflection to recognize the atrocities in Darfur. This Weekend of 
Prayer and Reflection would spread awareness to communities and 
religious institutions, promote constructive discussion, mourn the 
lives lost in these dreadful acts, and ultimately call for an immediate 
end to the genocide.
  The current crisis in Darfur began in February 2003 when two groups, 
The Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) and the Justice and Equality Movement 
(JEM), revolted against the Sudanese Government. Since then, the 
Sudanese government has actively imposed government restrictions and 
perpetrated violence against their civilians in order to crush this 
rebellion. The human rights violations which ensued in Darfur are 
numerous. The Janjaweed militia, backed by the Sudanese government, has 
committed grievous war crimes, such as rape, child abduction, the 
destruction of food and water sources, and denying humanitarian 
assistance to the Darfur region. An estimated 1.9 million people have 
been displaced and more than 213,000 people have been forced into 
neighboring Chad. Some observers project that up to 300,000 people have 
been killed over the past 2 years alone.
  The United States has been a leading donor of humanitarian assistance 
in Darfur. United States Agency for International Development (USAID) 
has provided an estimated $615 million in humanitarian assistance for 
Darfur since February 2003. USAID has also established a Disaster 
Assistance Response Team (DART) for Darfur. This monetary assistance is 
extremely important, but the United States must also make a symbolic 
stance to condemn the human rights violations in Darfur.
  Mr. Speaker, every individual is entitled to the preservation of his 
and her human rights and human dignity regardless of one's religion, 
race, ethnicity, gender, or region of birth. The United States has a 
moral obligation to end the violence in order to curtail the human 
rights violations in Darfur. Congress must raise awareness and educate 
our society in order to promote understanding and initiate action. The 
people of the United States must not only take time to reflect on this 
tragedy and recognize the ongoing suffering, but we must also call an 
end to the genocidal acts. I hope all my colleagues join me in 
supporting the goals and ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and 
Reflection for Darfur, Sudan.

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