[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 114 (Thursday, September 14, 2006)]
[Senate]
[Page S9617]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
DARFUR
Mr. BROWNBACK. Mr. President, I will not take my colleagues' time for
long, but I draw attention to a situation that has further developed--
or devolved and deteriorated--and that is the situation in Darfur. It
is a situation this Senate has spoken to often. We have spoken on
resolutions, on amendments; we have added funds.
What we have feared is now upon us. We are now seeing in the IDP
camps, the individuals that are displaced internally, diseases such as
asthma, malaria, cholera and dysentery. We have had 12 humanitarian
workers killed in the last 2 months. That is driving a number of the
humanitarian groups out of the region. The NGO, the nongovernment
organizations, currently now serve only 60 percent of the people they
were serving. The Government of Sudan has reportedly resumed aerial
bombings taking place in the northern and southern parts of Darfur.
The situation is growing worse. We don't know how many people have
died already, but it is set to escalate rapidly. NGOs are fleeing
because people are getting killed. The people are concentrated in the
camps. They are now not getting food and clean water.
Now we have cholera, more misery, malaria and the numbers of people
getting killed escalating dramatically. It is going to escalate further
and more dramatically if we do not act.
We have the government in Khartoum saying they want the African Union
troops out.
We do not have a big enough force there now. They are scheduled to
leave the end of September. We have a United Nations group that is
forming to go in, and the government in Khartoum, Sudan, is saying, We
are not going to let them in.
We have African Union troops preparing to leave. We have the U.N.
troops not yet prepared to come in or being allowed in. And we have
chaos. There are a lot of people dying in this region. It is
escalating. It is time we step up and push again.
This Senate has been excellent on this issue. The administration has
been very good. I cite particularly Assistant Secretary Zoellick who
spent a lot of time working on this issue, trying to bring people
together, getting a peace agreement signed a couple of months ago. It
was an important peace agreement.
The problem that has taken place now, after the peace agreement was
signed, the African Union troops were starting to organize to pull out,
the government of President al-Bashir in the Sudan decided: This is our
time to take over because the rest of the world is looking at Lebanon,
they are dealing with Hezbollah, the United States is focused on its
election cycle. This is the time for us to move.
This is a very difficult, dire situation for people on the ground. I
met with a number of the aid organizations today. Their people are
getting killed, so they are pulling back, as I cited.
When this situation first started developing about 3 years ago, the
very situation we are most concerned about is a lot of people getting
into the displaced camps, not having access to clean water, disease
spreading in the camps, spreading because of the concentration of
individuals and the lack of sanitation and clean water, and we really
get a mess. That is now where we are.
Mrs. BOXER. Will the Senator yield?
Mr. BROWNBACK. Yes.
Mrs. BOXER. I thank Senator Brownback for raising this issue. We are
in a do-or-die moment. We have been there before. I am reading that
certain experts are saying in 2 weeks there could be another Rwanda.
I am very glad the Senator is speaking out. I was very glad this
Senate did act, as we know, on a measure last week, actually voting to
send $20 million to the African nations to carry on, as my friend
points out. If they do not do it, there is a void. What will fill the
void will be disease, rapes, killings and, I hate to say it, continued
genocide.
I am glad the Senator raised this. The hours are running short. We
did vote. It is important we use our bully pulpit in whatever way we
can. I personally will be going to the United Nations on Monday
literally to knock on doors. I am setting up some appointments. We have
to do everything we can to prevent this worsening situation from
getting to the point where it is unsalvageable.
I thank the Senator for his efforts.
Mr. BROWNBACK. I thank my colleague for her interest. I wish her
Godspeed in New York with the U.N.
My colleague in Connecticut will address this same topic. It is very
important to speak. We need to pass the Darfur Accountability Act. It
has passed here and in the House. We need to resolve the issues.
It is important that the President, in his meetings at the U.N. for
General Assembly meetings, raise this issue. It is important to press
the Sudanese Government to stop the aerial bombings--they can do that
first and foremost--and that the African Union forces stay until a U.N.
force is put in place, we pressure the Sudanese Government to accept a
U.N. force, or, if not, put in targeted sanctions toward Sudanese
officials preventing traveling, dealing with their own personal
accounts.
There are a series of recommendations of a number of Senators
addressed in a letter to the President. It is a bipartisan effort. It
is a genocide already. It is one that is set to become a far worse
situation.
We really need to act.
I yield to the floor to the set of speakers listed.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Senator from Arkansas.
Mrs. LINCOLN. Mr. President, I join my colleague from California in
thanking Senator Brownback for bringing this issue forward. He has been
a tremendous supporter of taking action. He brings to light, tonight,
the fact we have to act and we have to act expeditiously.
As the situation deteriorates, unfortunately, it moves closer toward
a situation that we can do nothing about. I appreciate all of the
Senator's efforts in what he is doing for the people of Darfur.
____________________