[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 28 (Tuesday, March 7, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E297]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 CAPUANO PROVIDES LEADERSHIP ON DARFUR

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                           HON. BARNEY FRANK

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, March 7, 2006

  Mr. FRANK of Massachusetts. Mr. Speaker, no crisis confronting the 
world is as grave as that in Darfur, Sudan, where genocide is a tragic 
fact. America's failure to act more vigorously in this regard is a 
grave error. It is true that there are other nations, including many in 
Africa--which bear some of the blame. But we must not let the inaction 
of others become a justification for our own failure to take steps that 
we know to be morally necessary to save lives. My colleague from 
Massachusetts, (Mr. Capuano), on his return from a trip to Darfur led 
by the gentlewoman from California, the Democratic Leader, wrote a 
forceful article in the Boston Herald for March 7th making the case for 
much firmer action by the U.S. and others in Darfur.
  Mr. Speaker, given the moral imperative of action, I hope all of our 
colleagues will agree with the gentleman from Massachusetts who writes 
that ``I urge the President to fully support the U.N. peacekeeping 
mission and put the full weight of the U.S. military behind it. More 
troops, with a mandate to protect civilians, are desperately needed . . 
. If the U.N. cannot meet this timetable, we must strengthen the AU 
force and provide additional civilian support.''
  Mr. Speaker, at a time when people compete with each other to stress 
the importance of the moral element in politics, our colleague from 
Massachusetts (Mr. Capuano) has struck a clear note on one of the 
overriding moral issues of our time, and I join him in calling on the 
President and the rest of us to take prompt action.

                 U.S. Must Work To Halt Darfur Genocide

                          (By Michael Capuano)

       We look back on the Holocaust and wonder how the world 
     stood by while 6 million Jews were slaughtered. Never again, 
     we pledged. Yet in 1994, 1 million Rwandans were massacred. 
     Afterward, we declared it genocide and pledged never again. 
     Many leaders later expressed deep regret over our inaction.
       In 2003, our attention was drawn to Darfur, Sudan, where 
     innocent civilians were being murdered, enslaved, raped and 
     driven from their homes. We declared it genocide, but failed 
     to act, again.
       Since 2003, more than 400,000 people have been murdered in 
     Darfur and 2 million more displaced. I just returned from 
     Sudan, on a trip led by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi.
       In Al Fashir, Darfur, we met with relief workers, traveled 
     to Internally Displaced Persons camps and spoke with African 
     Union (AU) personnel. This reinforced my conviction that 
     genocide is still occurring, the government of Sudan is 
     responsible and not enough is being done.
       We also met with Sudanese government officials who claimed 
     the suffering in Darfur was exaggerated. There were 
     skirmishes over water and grazing rights, they said, but 
     nothing to concern outsiders. They admitted funding the 
     Janjaweed, the militias who attack civilians, yet vehemently 
     denied genocide is occurring. Everyone else we spoke with, AU 
     personnel and relief workers, recognize they are witnessing 
     genocide.
       There are 7,700 AU personnel on the ground. However, they 
     don't have a mandate to protect civilians and lack sufficient 
     resources. Without a drastic troop increase and outside 
     logistical assistance, the AU will continue struggling. AU 
     officials told us they need more support and are planning for 
     the involvement of a United Nations force. But the government 
     of Sudan, the perpetrators of the genocide, rejects U.N. 
     involvement.
       I have persistently called for the protection of civilians 
     and an end to the violence. Attempts to address this crisis 
     legislatively have faced resistance. I have tried to 
     Introduce amendments to a State Department bill and a Foreign 
     Operations bill, authorizing the president to use all 
     necessary means to stop the genocide. These amendments were 
     blocked.
       President Bush and U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan 
     recently discussed a U.N. peacekeeping force for Darfur. The 
     president has publicly called for the doubling of 
     peacekeepers. I urge the president to fully support a U.N. 
     peacekeeping mission and put the full weight of the U.S. 
     military behind it. More troops, with a mandate to protect 
     civilians, are desperately needed and must arrive in the next 
     couple of months. If the U.N. cannot meet this timetable, we 
     must strengthen the AU force and provide additional civilian 
     support.
       President Bush recently said America was first to recognize 
     the genocide in Darfur. He said, ``Our country was the first 
     country to call what was taking place a genocide, which 
     matters--words matter.''
       Actions matter more. It's time to back our words up with 
     action. Time is running out.

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