[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 93 (Tuesday, July 12, 2005)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1466]
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

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                         HON. CHARLES B. RANGEL

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Monday, July 11, 2005


  Mr. RANGEL. Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong support of 
Congressman Payne's resolution H. Res. 333--supporting the goals and 
ideals of a National Weekend of Prayer and Reflection for Darfur. The 
violence and ongoing humanitarian challenges that the people of Darfur 
continue to face necessitate that we keep them in our thoughts and 
prayers, and continue to ensure that the Darfur issue remains firmly 
within the purview of U.S. policymakers, until a final resolution is 
reached.
  Communities of faith in the United States have always played a role 
in eliciting action on an array of historic moral questions. From the 
anti-slavery and civil rights movements in this country, to the 
campaign to end the terrible Ethiopian famines of the 1980's, the power 
of faith was brought to bear in an attempt to address an issue of human 
suffering.
  The ongoing crisis in Darfur is one such issue, that warrants the 
continued engagement of the American religious community--especially 
when engagement from other sources has, in some instances, been 
lacking. The Darfur conflict has so far claimed as much as 400,000 
lives, and displaced at least 2.4 million. The United States has to its 
credit taken the lead among world powers in addressing the conflict by 
providing humanitarian assistance to the Darfurian people, and applying 
pressure to the Sudanese government. America's religious communities 
have been instrumental in compelling the United States government to 
become involved.
  However, in recent months the Administration has been rather muted on 
the Darfur issue. Indeed, the Administration has backed away from 
classifying the actions of the Sudanese government and its Janjaweed 
militia as genocide, and U.S. and Sudanese officials have visited each 
other consistently in recent months. With the recent peace agreement 
between the Khartoum government and the oil-producing region of 
southern Sudan, as well as Sudanese cooperation on U.S. terrorism 
efforts, there is talk of the U.S. lifting sanctions on Sudan.
  Such hospitable relations are very concerning, considering the fact 
that the situation in the Darfur is still dire. While the killings in 
aggregate have decreased, the cease-fire is extremely fragile. In the 
absence of the small African Union peacekeeping force, and the 
humanitarian assistance provided by the international community, Darfur 
would easily fall back into chaos. Indeed, U.N. humanitarian 
coordinator Manuel Aranda Da Silva said that the situation could 
deteriorate quickly if foreign assistance stops coming.
  In addition, rape is still a widespread tactic utilized by government 
and its militia, as well as forced military recruitment of young 
people. According to officials from the United Nations High Committee 
on Refugees, areas outside peacekeeping observation remain very 
dangerous. As such, the United States must maintain its pressure on the 
Sudanese government, and clearly convey to them that any improvement in 
relations between our two countries is contingent on resolution of the 
Darfur crisis.
  The religious community is well placed, and equipped with the moral 
authority, to compel the United States government not to decrease its 
engagement on the Darfur issue. It is my hope that communities of faith 
will reflect this coming weekend on the continuing crisis in Darfur--
because only when we reflect, will we be emboldened to act. Again, I 
thank the Gentleman from New Jersey for this resolution, as our 
struggle for the people of Darfur is far from over.

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