[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 70 (Tuesday, June 6, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Pages S5485-S5486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                                 DARFUR

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, while the Senate, with the encouragement of 
a White House in full campaign mode, debates a constitutional amendment 
to ban gay marriage--a debate which will consume days of the Senate's 
time and is all about scoring political points in an election year--the 
disaster in Darfur rages on.
  It has been nearly 4 weeks since a peace agreement was signed between 
the Sudanese Government and one of the rebel groups, but violence, 
hunger and disease continue to claim innocent lives.
  Jan Egeland, United Nations Under-Secretary General for Humanitarian 
Affairs, recently described the humanitarian situation in Darfur as 
being on the verge of collapse.
  In the midst of this calamity, the Senate is focused on other 
matters. Gay marriage. Next it will be flag burning. And then full 
repeal of the estate tax, to benefit the wealthiest of the wealthy. 
Solutions in search of a problem, while whole villages burn, their 
inhabitants are slaughtered, and relief organizations in Darfur 
struggle to cope without adequate resources.
  Between a quarter of a million and half a million people have 
perished in Darfur--mostly civilians whose villages have been reduced 
to ashes. Many, who escaped being shot or hacked to death, have died 
from hunger and disease.
  The Sudanese Government has obstructed the deployment of a U.N. 
peacekeeping force in Darfur. The African Union has done its best, but 
with only 7,000 troops, inadequate resources, and a weak mandate to 
patrol a vast area with few roads, it has been unable to provide 
civilians with the protection they need.
  I am so very proud that two high school students in Vermont are 
setting a moral example for all Americans. Ben Rome and Brian Banks, 
seniors at Essex High School, outraged over the tragedy that is 
unfolding half a world away, felt compelled to do something about it. 
They have organized a public rally in Burlington, VT, for this coming 
Sunday to bring Vermonters together to speak out about one of the worst 
human disasters in recent memory. I look forward to joining Ben and 
Brian and other concerned Vermonters this weekend.
  The supplemental appropriations bill for Iraq, Afghanistan, Hurricane 
Katrina recovery, and Sudan, which should be completed this week--and I 
hope we can find the time to pass it--contains additional funds to 
support the current level of peacekeepers in Darfur through the 
remainder of this year. This will help, but twice that amount is 
needed.
  The supplemental also provides additional funds for food and other 
humanitarian aid. It should shame the White House and the Congress to 
reflect on the fact that we know we are not doing enough.
  We also provide funds to support a Presidential special envoy for 
Sudan, to work in pursuit of peace in Darfur and stability throughout 
Sudan, northern Uganda, and Chad. We need someone of the caliber of 
Senator Danforth to be working continuously to help solve the Darfur 
crisis.
  A tragedy like this is bigger than any of us as individuals, but it 
is not too big if we join together in constructive action--as 
individuals, as private relief organizations, and as nations.

[[Page S5486]]

  America is a great and good nation with the power to help stop this. 
But it will take sustained attention, and it will take the efforts of 
committed citizens like Brian Banks and Ben Rome who, one by one, are 
opening the world's eyes to a tragedy that must be stopped.

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