[Congressional Record Volume 152, Number 125 (Friday, September 29, 2006)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1908-E1909]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                    THE DETERIORATING PEACE IN SUDAN

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. GREGORY W. MEEKS

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 28, 2006

  Mr. MEEKS of New York. Mr. Speaker, people are being massacred in 
Darfur, Sudan by the Sudanese Government's proxy militia called the 
Janjaweed. The Janjaweed have been unleashed to carry out a scorched 
earth campaign against innocent civilians from three African 
communities in Darfur causing death, destruction, and displacement.
  After the Holocaust in which 6 million Jews of Europe were murdered 
as a result of Adolf Hitler's plan called the ``Final Solution'', 
Germany's deliberate and systematic attempt to annihilate the entire 
Jewish population of Europe, the world said ``Never Again.''
  In 1994, from April to June, 800,000 Rwandans were brutally 
slaughtered in one of the worst cases of human suffering of the 21st 
century. The U.S. and the international community failed to mount an 
intervention to stop the genocide, instead, we stood by watched and did 
nothing. The United Nations had a front row seat to these atrocities 
for they were on the frontlines but did not have the mandate to stop 
the slaughter. After the Rwandan genocide, we looked back and said, 
``Not on my watch.''
  From August 1998 to April 2004, 3.8 million people or 38,000 people 
per month have died in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, DRC. 
Today, the people of the DRC are still suffering the affects of a lack 
of a serious commitment to end the lawlessness in their country.
  Mr. Speaker, it is our watch and genocide continues to happen in 
Darfur, Sudan. What will be our excuse for not acting this time? We 
have witness testimonies from survivors of the genocide and other 
documentary evidence that the Sudanese government is acting with intent 
to destroy groups in Darfur because of their ethnicity.
  The United Nations estimates the number of people affected by the 
conflict at almost 4 million and according to the World Food Program, 
nearly 3 million people are reliant on humanitarian aid for food, 
shelter and health care. The Sudanese government and regional 
insecurity continues to obstruct aid workers from reaching displaced 
villagers. This phenomenon coupled with a lack of adequate funding will 
cause the number of people dying each month to increase significantly.

[[Page E1909]]

  The Khartoum government has demonstrated that it cannot be relied 
upon to address the humanitarian crisis. The government's use of import 
restrictions and routine harassment of aid workers and obstruction to 
food aid deliveries is according to U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan, 
``a violation of international humanitarian law.'' Also, The United 
Nations' International Commission of Inquiry on Darfur report found 
that the Sudanese government has committed major crimes under 
international law, including a pattern of mass killings, rape, pillage 
and forced displacement that constitutes war crimes and crimes against 
humanity. The U.N. must act now to protect civilians.

  History will remember that we waited for the approval of a genocidal 
regime before going in to protect innocent Darfurians. We must act now. 
The world will remember that this Republican Congress, Republican 
Senate and Republican White House did not do all it could to stop the 
deaths, destruction and displacement that is occurring in Darfur.
  It has been 2 years since then-Secretary of State Colin Powell 
declared that, ``genocide has been committed in Darfur, and the 
government of Sudan and the Janjaweed bear responsibility.'' I have 
supported and continue to support the 7,000 member African Union 
Mission in Sudan, AMIS. As it stands, AMIS has no mandate to protect 
civilians, lacks the troop strength, financial, and logistical support 
necessary to stop the ongoing genocide. However, given these 
insurmountable odds, the A.U. force has performed admirably. AMIS' 
mandate was set to expire on September 30, 2006, and the A.U. has 
consistently called for transition of AMIS to the U.N. force. Khartoum 
vehemently opposes this request and consequently opposes U.N. Security 
Resolution 1706 but with much reluctance, Khartoum has agreed to extend 
AMIS' mandate until the end of the year.
  The United States continues to call on the Sudanese Government to 
recognize the severity of the humanitarian crisis in Darfur and 
immediately agree to a transition of AMIS to the U.N. President Bush 
has failed to leverage the diplomatic might of the presidency to 
overcome the objections of the Sudanese Government to a U.N. force 
entering Darfur. Instead, we have accepted the stalling tactics of the 
Sudanese administration: Only a massive U.N. force can legitimately and 
credibly protect civilians, ensure humanitarian access and fully carry 
out the extensive monitoring and implementation duties spelled out in 
the Darfur Peace Agreement.
  The Darfur Peace Agreement, DPA, establishes critical security, 
wealth-sharing and power sharing arrangements that address the long-
standing economic and political marginalization of Darfur. To date, the 
criteria's of the DPA have yet to be implemented thus creating a sense 
of uncertainty for Darfur.
  We must leverage our compounded international diplomatic efforts to 
work with members of the Security Council such as China and Russia to 
overcome Sudanese President al-Bashir's objections to U.N. Security 
Council Resolution 1706 and allow the 20,000 U.N. forces to enter 
Darfur and begin to provide immediate security to Darfurians. The 
international community should not take a backseat to Khartoum's 
objections nor should the deployment of the troops be contingent upon 
Khartoum's consent.
  The situation on the ground continues to spiral out of control. 
Violence is causing surges in malnutrition and starvation rates. 
Humanitarian aid organizations have been cut off from helping those in 
need. Twelve humanitarian aid workers have been killed in the last 2 
months. Twenty-five humanitarian aid vehicles have been hijacked 
causing humanitarian aid organizations to pull out of northern Darfur 
leaving major populations vulnerable.
  Under pressure from the Congress, the President recently appointed a 
Special Envoy for Darfur, Andrew Natsios. Securing civilians should be 
Mr. Natsios' primary responsibility. Further, he should have a strong 
mandate and staff to ensure he is successful in achieving this mandate.
  The Government of Sudan is deploying 26,000 Sudanese troops to Darfur 
in preparation for a major offensive. At the same time, the Sudanese 
Government is opposed to U.N. forces entering Darfur and continues to 
object to the African Union troops remaining in Darfur if they 
transition into a U.N. force. The actions by the Government of Sudan 
should raise concern for the safety of the people of Darfur.
  Sudanese armed forces--Janjaweed militia--are still using vehicles 
that they've painted white to look like African Union troops and they 
continue to steal gasoline from the A.U. It is despicable to know that 
the Sudanese Government in Khartoum continues to use helicopter 
gunships and Soviet-era Antonov planes to bomb villages and drive 
innocent unarmed civilians from their mud-and-thatch hut homes.
  An international force is needed immediately to stop the killings, 
rapes, and pillaging in Darfur; provide security to facilitate 
humanitarian assistance programs for internally displaced people; 
enforce the cease-fire between the government in Khartoum and the rebel 
groups in Darfur to allow for political negotiations; and, facilitate 
the return of civilians to their land, reconstruction of homes, and 
provide a secure environment.
  Mr. Speaker, we should be immediately deploying a U.N. peacekeeping 
force in accordance with U.N. Security Council Resolution 1706 and 
immediately implement all previously passed U.N. Security Council 
resolutions. The people of Darfur should not have to wait. We must act 
not before it is too late, we must act now before there is no one left 
to protect.

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