[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 67 (Wednesday, April 25, 2007)]
[House]
[Pages H4057-H4065]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING ON THE LEAGUE OF ARAB STATES TO ACKNOWLEDGE THE GENOCIDE IN
DARFUR
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and agree to
the concurrent resolution (H. Con. Res. 7) calling on the League of
Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the Darfur region of Sudan
and to step up their efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur, as
amended.
The Clerk read the title of the concurrent resolution.
The text of the concurrent resolution is as follows:
H. Con. Res. 7
Whereas in July 2004, the House of Representatives and the
Senate declared that the atrocities in the Darfur region of
Sudan constitute genocide, and the Bush administration
reached the same conclusion in September 2004, when then
Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that ``the evidence
leads us to the conclusion that genocide has occurred and may
still be occurring in Darfur'';
Whereas estimates indicate that 400,000 people may have
been killed by the Government of Sudan and its Janjaweed
allies since the crisis began in 2003, more than 2,000,000
[[Page H4058]]
people have been displaced from their homes, and more than
250,000 people from Darfur remain in refugee camps in Chad;
Whereas the former United Nations Under-Secretary-General
for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan Egeland, in late August 2006
stated that ``[i]nsecurity is at its highest level since
2004, access at its lowest levels since that date, and we may
well be on the brink of a return to all-out war'';
Whereas despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement
in May 2006, violence against civilians, peacekeepers, and
humanitarian workers continues unabated, including the
killing of an estimated 12 humanitarian workers and 16
African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeepers;
Whereas in August 2006, the Government of Sudan began to
deploy thousands of government troops for a major offensive
in Darfur, once again threatening a major humanitarian
catastrophe and risking the safety and security of millions
of civilians;
Whereas, according to the Government of Sudan's plan, in a
document submitted to the United Nations Secretary-General,
Kofi Annan, the Government of Sudan planned to deploy
approximately 26,500 additional troops and 7,050 additional
police to Darfur;
Whereas the objectives of this deployment were ``to deal
with the threats posed by the activities of groups that have
rejected the Darfur Peace Agreement and to gain control over
the security situation and achieve stability in Darfur'';
Whereas on August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security
Council passed Resolution 1706, expanding the mandate of the
United Nations Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) for the additional
deployment of 17,300 peacekeeping troops and 3,300 civilian
police personnel as well as 16 formed police units to Darfur;
Whereas implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) between the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement (SPLM) is slow, raising serious concern
about the commitment of the Government of Sudan to fulfill
its responsibilities;
Whereas President Omar Hassan El-Bashir of Sudan rejected
the deployment of a United Nations peacekeeping force to
Darfur, even as First Vice President Salva Kiir publicly
stated his support for the deployment of a United Nations
peacekeeping mission to Darfur;
Whereas in March 2006, at the Khartoum summit, Arab leaders
worked against a plan to transform the African Union Mission
in Sudan (AMIS) into a United Nations protection force with a
mandate to protect civilians;
Whereas on August 20, 2006, in Cairo, Egypt, the League of
Arab States met and backed Sudan's refusal of a United
Nations peacekeeping force in the war-wracked Darfur region;
Whereas in September 2006, a resolution passed by the
League of Arab States Council of Foreign Ministers called for
the United Nations Security Council to give the Sudanese
Government more time to implement its ``plan to improve
conditions and preserve security'' in Darfur;
Whereas on November 30, 2006, the Peace and Security
Council of the African Union approved a decision to extend
the mandate of AMIS in Darfur through July 2007;
Whereas, although the United Nations was authorized and
prepared to send peacekeeping forces to Darfur under United
Nations Security Council Resolution 1706 (2006), the League
of Arab States worked to obstruct the deployment of such
forces or had sought to reduce their mandate;
Whereas the November 30, 2006, Abuja Communique of the
Peace and Security Council of the African Union endorsed the
deployment of a hybrid United Nations-African Union
peacekeeping force and stated the following:
(1) The Special Representative shall be jointly appointed
by the Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union and
the Secretary-General of the United Nations, after
appropriate consultations as per the practice.
(2) The Force Commander, who should be an African, shall be
appointed by the Chairperson of the Commission in
consultation with the Secretary-General of the United
Nations.
(3) The Mission shall benefit from United Nations
backstopping and command and control structures and systems.
(4) The size of the force shall be determined by the
African Union and the United Nations, taking into account all
relevant factors and the situation on the ground, as well as
the requirements for it to effectively discharge its mandate.
Whereas in March 2007, ongoing negotiations between the
United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and President
Omar Hassan El-Bashir of Sudan took place under the auspices
of the League of Arab States Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia,
and with the encouragement of Saudi Arabia, Egypt and the
Secretary General of the League of Arab States;
Whereas on April 16, 2007, Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam
Akol announced that Sudan fully accepts a ``heavy support''
package from the United Nations, including significant
additional logistical and military support, which represents
the second phase of a three-step plan to create a hybrid
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force of
approximately 17,000 troops and 3,000 police; and
Whereas the support of the League of Arab States and each
Member State individually will be critical to end the
genocide in Darfur: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress--
(1) strongly urges the League of Arab States and each
Member State individually to declare the systematic torture,
rape, and displacement of Darfurians a genocide;
(2) strongly urges the League of Arab States and each
Member State individually to agree and pass a resolution at
their next meeting to support and accept a robust hybrid
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, as agreed to
by all parties to the Abuja Communique on November 30, 2006,
to enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure
access to humanitarian assistance in Darfur; and
(3) strongly urges the League of Arab States to continue to
work with the United Nations, the African Union and the
United States Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew
Natsios, to bring about real and lasting peace and stability
in Darfur, the refugee camps, and along the Chadian border.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to the rule, the gentleman from New
York (Mr. Ackerman) and the gentleman from New Jersey (Mr. Smith) each
will control 20 minutes.
The Chair recognizes the gentleman from New York.
General Leave
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members
may have 5 legislative days to revise and extend their remarks and
include extraneous material on the resolution under consideration.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New York?
There was no objection.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of this
resolution, and yield myself as much time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, let me first thank the sponsor of this resolution, our
friend and colleague from the Bay Area, Barbara Lee, for introducing
this important measure. Let me also acknowledge the leadership on the
Darfur issue of our distinguished majority leader, our friend and
colleague, Steny Hoyer, who recently returned from a very important and
timely mission to the region.
Madam Speaker, we are still haunted by the echoes of the Holocaust,
which Congress commemorated last week in the Capitol rotunda. The
message from that horrific time is fresh in our minds as we consider
another terrible genocide, the slaughter in the Darfur region of the
Sudan.
Despite that profound message, the international community has
allowed as many as 450,000 people to be killed, by some estimates, in
Darfur. The Sudanese Government has been allowed to perpetuate a
shocking campaign of terror for too long. And complacent governments
around the world have stood on the side lines for too long.
So today, the question faces us, will we again fail to heed the
message of the Holocaust? Will we allow Khartoum to keep terrorizing
the impoverished and desperate minority there into extinction?
Slight signs of progress have emerged over the past few weeks, even
if it has come too late for the dead. The Sudanese Government agreed to
let a 3,000 person strong United Nations peacekeeping force to enter
the country and join the African Union troops already there. This is
meant to be a stepping stone to a larger and more robust force.
But the Sudanese Government made the decision under pressure and only
after months of excruciating backtracking and delay. But the Sudanese
Government has resisted the U.N.'s efforts to send 20,000 peacekeepers
to Darfur. The U.N. has deemed this larger force necessary to protect
civilians and to enforce a peace.
I have no doubt that Khartoum will continue to play games until they
once again feel the pain of international pressure. As we speak, the
government there is deliberately intimidating aid workers in Darfur.
Let me be clear: The difference between a small, targeted force and a
very substantial deployment is no mere sticking point. It is absolutely
essential.
It is essential to stopping the Arab militias from continuing to
carry out the government's dirty deeds. It is essential to clearing the
path for crucial food and water and health supplies to reach the
refugee camps. And it is essential because injustice is only really
addressed when it is obliterated, not when it is slowed to a painful
trickle of
[[Page H4059]]
displacement, harassment and disrupted lives. We must have that bigger
U.N. force in the Sudan.
Now, finally, the international community has spoken with one voice.
But more pressure needs to be applied. They cannot be allowed to slide
backward this time.
The resolution before the House today urges those who may have the
most influence, the Arab League and its member states, to take dramatic
steps to help bring peace to Darfur.
The resolution urges the Arab states to declare the systematic
torture, rape and displacement of Darfurians a genocide, and to support
and accept U.N. peacekeepers. It also urges the Arab League to work
with the United Nations, the African Union and the United States
Presidential Special Envoy for the Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring
about peace and stability to Darfur, the refugee camps, and along the
Chadian border.
I believe it is the solemn duty of all who have said ``never again''
to speak out about genocide, especially this brutal one in Darfur. More
importantly, I believe it is our duty in this Congress to do something
about it without any delay.
I ask all of our colleagues to vote for this important and timely
resolution.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I
may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in very strong support of H. Con. Res. 7, and
congratulate Congresswoman Jackson-Lee for authoring this important
measure. It sends a very clear and nonambiguous message to the Arab
League to recognize the killing fields of Darfur as ``genocide'' and to
support the deployment of the hybrid U.N. peacekeeping force pursuant
to U.N. Resolution 1706.
It is timely that we consider this resolution today as leaders and
activists around the world unite to raise awareness and urge action to
stop the genocide during this week's Global Days for Darfur.
Madam Speaker, no other people on Earth have suffered more than the
people of Sudan. Tragically, they have been victimized by not one, but
two genocides. In the south, over the course of 2 decades, some 2
million people were murdered by the Khartoum regime, and only a robust
peacemaking effort, backed by the military efforts on the ground by Dr.
Garang, resulted in a comprehensive peace agreement that was very ably
brokered by Senator Danforth as the Special Envoy appointed by
President Bush. Indeed, President Bush, I think, made the crucial
difference in bringing peace to southern Sudan.
But just as that peace was breaking out, in February of 2003,
hostilities began in Darfur, and now we have, regrettably, another
genocide, in excess of 400,000 people dead and 2 million people
displaced.
Several months ago, Madam Speaker, I traveled to Darfur and met some
of the heroic survivors of genocide at two camps, at Mukjar and at
Kalma camp. When our old Soviet era helicopter landed at the remote
Mukjar camp, thousands of women and children danced, clapped and sang
beautiful traditional African songs. The people of Darfur, as we all
know, have a remarkable generosity and spirit. And it was awe inspiring
and heart breaking at the same time.
{time} 1045
At first glance most of the people had a superficial glow of physical
wellness, thanks in large part to the brave NGOs bearing food,
clothing, shelter, and medicine. However, even those necessities are
now at risk due to the insecurity in Darfur caused by a lack of
protection of humanitarian aid workers.
As the H. Con. Res. 7 points out, Khartoum is now targeting relief
agencies and NGOs, and at least 12 humanitarian workers have been
killed in Darfur.
It profoundly troubles me, and troubled me especially on the trip, to
look at the appalling fear and trepidation. It is ever-present. Trauma,
posttraumatic stress disorder is everywhere. I spoke with many women
who told me personal stories of rape, senseless beatings and massacres
by the Janjaweed and the Sudanese militias. Among the refugees and
IDPs, emotional woundedness and brokenness is everywhere. Like you and
me, Madam Speaker, all that the wonderful people of Darfur really want
is to love God and their families and their friends and to earn a
living and to live in peace, and yet they have had atrocities imposed
upon them that no human should have to bear.
On that same trip, Madam Speaker, I also had a lengthy meeting with
President Bashir at his presidential suite in Khartoum. All Bashir
wanted to talk about was ending United States trade sanctions, not the
horrific loss of life in Darfur. For me the exchange was eerily
reminiscent of a conversation I had had in Serbia with the late
Slobodan Milosevic after he invaded Croatia, then Bosnia, and unleashed
the Balkan genocide. He too, like Bashir, was unmoved by the plight of
suffering people.
On October 5 of 2006, I wrote a letter, cosigned by 175 Members of
Congress, to the Secretary General of The League of Arab States, asking
him to use his authority to employ all diplomatic means available to
encourage Bashir to halt Sudan's military offensive in North Darfur, to
withdraw Sudanese troops from the area, and to reverse the Arab
League's opposition to the U.N. deployment of peacekeepers. I believe,
and this resolution makes absolutely clear, that the UN-AU hybrid force
is today the best option to enforce a cease-fire, protect civilians,
ensure access to humanitarian assistance, and begin the path to
reconstruction and reconciliation in Darfur. We pointed out in the
October letter that the collective voice of the Arab League could
clearly help save thousands of lives and bring peace and security to
Darfur. Right now they are part of the problem. It is time the Arab
League became part of the solution.
Finally, this legislation strongly urges the League of Arab States to
declare that the systematic torture, rape, and displacement of
Darfurians is a genocide, and strongly urges the Arab League to agree
and pass a resolution to accept and support the U.N. peacekeepers,
again, as the best option to enforce that cease-fire and to give the
people of Darfur what they so desperately need: peace and
reconciliation.
Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 8\1/2\ minutes to the
gentlewoman from California (Barbara Lee), member of the Committee on
Appropriations and the main sponsor of this resolution now before us.
Ms. LEE. Madam Speaker, let me thank the gentleman for yielding and
for his leadership on so many issues relating to human rights and
genocide and our foreign policy.
I also want to thank Chairman Lantos. I want to thank Speaker Pelosi.
I want to thank our majority leader, Mr. Hoyer, and I want to thank
Congressman Don Payne, who for so long was the lone voice in the
wilderness speaking out against the horrific genocide that is taking
place in Darfur. Also I want to thank Congressman Smith and all of our
Republican colleagues, Congresswoman Ros-Lehtinen; our staff, Joan
Condon, Pearl Alice Marsh, Christos Tsentos, all of you who have not
only worked so diligently with your expertise and your clarity but also
because you all are committed to the work that we are doing to try to
end this genocide.
Let me thank our cosponsors of this resolution. We have over 115
cosponsors, bipartisan cosponsors.
This is a very important moment for this House of Representatives and
for the world. Thirteen years ago the world did stand by as nearly 1
million people were slaughtered in the genocide of Rwanda. The best our
country could do then, the best we could do, was apologize, and that
was after the fact. Many of us swore that another Rwanda would never
happen again, would never take place on our watch. But, today, Madam
Speaker, it is happening again.
Nearly 3 years ago, on July 22, 2004, Congress formally declared that
genocide was taking place in Darfur. Estimates indicate that nearly
450,000 people now, 450,000 people, have been killed and 2.5 million
innocent civilians have been displaced to this date. That is mind-
boggling.
I witnessed this ongoing tragedy in January of 2005, when I first
visited the refugee camps in Chad and in Darfur, led by another leader
against this
[[Page H4060]]
genocide, Congressman Ed Royce; also with two great humanitarian
leaders, Don Cheadle, Academy Award nominee for ``Hotel Rwanda''; and
Paul Rusesabagina, who also is a hero who was in Rwanda and led many
people out of that tragedy.
In February 2006, once again under the leadership of our great
Speaker, Speaker Nancy Pelosi, I visited the refugee camps with a
bipartisan delegation in Darfur. And just 2 weeks ago, we returned from
Darfur again. This was my third visit, again a bipartisan congressional
delegation under the leadership of our leader, our majority leader,
Congressman Steny Hoyer.
I say this to say that I have seen this now three times, this
tragedy, and it is quickly, quickly, continuing to deteriorate very
rapidly. More and more people are dying. Regardless of what you hear,
we know that more and more people are dying. We heard now that 1,500 to
2,000 a week are dying, and even humanitarian aid workers are at risk.
Cars are being hijacked. The day before our delegation arrived, five
African Union soldiers from Senegal were killed. They were killed. And
the general, the head of the African Union, he begged us to send more
peacekeepers. He begged us to send more logistical support and to help
with what they need so that they can provide the civilian protection
against this slaughter. Unfortunately, for many Darfurians, the
situation is still very, very grim.
As part of our visit this time, we also went to Egypt and met with
President Mubarak. He indicated that Egypt had deployed 900 troops to
help implement the comprehensive peace agreement in southern Sudan.
Additionally, Egypt had sent about 150 military observers and police to
Darfur and was supporting a field hospital that was serving 200,000
people. These efforts are extremely, extremely important. But we urged
him to do more and to use his influence with the Sudanese Government to
help stop the atrocities.
News reports last week indicate that Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and the
League of Arab States and the United Nations were all instrumental in
pressuring President Bashir of the Sudan to accept the second phase of
the three-part agreement to implement an African Union-United Nations
hybrid peacekeeping force. If true, this agreement to deploy the so-
called ``heavy support package'' would provide for an additional 3,000
peacekeepers, helicopters, and significant logistical and military
support for the hybrid force. But as the African Union told us, they
need at least 22,000-plus troops.
So whether or not we see this 3,000 force come into Darfur remains to
be seen. Past experience has taught us that we can never take President
Bashir at his word. News reports the very next day detailed a United
Nations investigation that caught Khartoum disguising military supply
planes in United Nations colors in order to supply weapons to their
janjaweed allies.
The international community and our friends in the League of Arab
States cannot allow this sort of double-dealing to take place. We have
all got to keep the pressure on Khartoum, and that is why we have got
to pass this bipartisan resolution today.
The thrust of this resolution is very simple. It calls on the League
of Arab States and each member state to be our partners for peace by
stepping up their efforts to end the genocide in Darfur. For too long
the world has been silent in this struggle. I remember in my trips to
Algeria, meeting with the President of Algeria, and a previous visit to
Egypt several years ago that the government officials were very
reluctant to call the ongoing atrocities in Darfur genocide, and some
even denied that genocide was taking place. But we know that it is.
Even just last week, Egypt expressed its opposition to further United
Nations sanctions against Sudan, urging that we give President Bashir
more time. More time for what? To allow more innocent people to get
killed?
While it appears today that in some cases those outlooks are changing
of some of the Arab states, there is still much more that they can do
and that we can do. We must demand that President Bashir follow through
on the full deployment of the AU-UN hybrid force; and we must urge all
parties, the rebels and the government, to end the violence and come to
the table to negotiate a political solution. But we cannot and we
should not hold a cease-fire declaration hostage to a peace agreement
or vice versa. We cannot wait for a peace agreement to stop the
slaughter. We must do both at the same time. And we must insist that
Darfurians return to their homes, figure out a way so they can get home
quickly to their villages and reclaim their lives.
Our own efforts to stop this genocide must intensify also. We must
pursue divestment to remove all United States funding from any business
that is supporting the Sudanese Government and the ongoing genocide.
And we have got to explore further sanctions and legislation that I
know my colleague Congressman Don Payne is working on.
Lastly, we must engage with the Chinese to leverage their influence
on the Sudanese Government and help put a stop to this violence. As the
principal buyer of oil from the Sudan, the Chinese have the ability to
exert political and financial pressure on President Bashir. We need
their help to end the genocide.
I salute the faith community and our young people around the country
who are organizing and speaking out and working day and night to end
this genocide. This week they are conducting a series of ``Darfur
Days'' as they continue to say ``not on our watch.'' We hope that our
friends in the Arab world join these young people in saying not on
their watch, never will this happen again.
I just want to mention that our beloved colleague Congresswoman
Juanita Millender-McDonald, who passed away this weekend, worked
tirelessly to end this genocide in Darfur. So I am asking for a strong
bipartisan vote on this resolution in her honor. And for the young
people, the men and the women whom we have seen and whose lives we know
have been destroyed, and for those who have died, let us say to the
entire world and let us ask our partners for peace in the Arab world to
end this genocide now.
{time} 1100
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield 4 minutes to the
distinguished gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Goodlatte).
Mr. GOODLATTE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in strong support of this
legislation.
Earlier this month, I had the invaluable opportunity to travel to the
war torn country of Sudan as part of a bipartisan congressional
delegation led by our distinguished majority leader, Mr. Hoyer. We
journeyed to the besieged African nation to meet with the government
and humanitarian leaders to discuss issues related to the ongoing
atrocities in Darfur. What I saw was horrendous, and I am pleased that
we have once again joined together here in this Congress to call for an
end to this genocide.
The ongoing crisis in Darfur and western Sudan has led to a major
humanitarian disaster. At the core of the current conflict is a
struggle for control of political power and resources, with an
estimated 1.9 million people displaced, and more than 213,000 people
forced into neighboring Chad. Observers estimate that up to 450,000
people have been killed over the course of this violence.
It is deplorable that any government would use the systematic
dislocation of its own people and the disease and starvation that
inevitably follow as a weapon, not to mention the outright violence
that the Government of Sudan has helped foster in Darfur. The situation
there is clearly one of the worst humanitarian crises in recent times.
As a Nation dedicated to freedom and the rights of the individual, we
have a responsibility to speak out when those rights are violated,
whether at home or abroad. This House has already taken action
condemning the situation in Sudan, but still more must be done to end
this humanitarian crisis. That is why I am joining with my colleagues
in supporting this resolution.
The resolution calls on the League of Arab States, Sudan's neighbors,
to acknowledge the genocide in Darfur and step up their efforts to end
this genocide. This crisis has cast an international spotlight on
Darfur and the region, and we must urge the Arab League to step up
their efforts and join with the world in ending genocide.
While I have never seen anything like what I saw in Darfur, the
situation is not completely hopeless. The humanitarian assistance the
United States is
[[Page H4061]]
providing is helping millions of people in desperate circumstances, but
we must continue using international sanctions to force access for
additional peacekeeping and humanitarian missions in order to stabilize
this volatile place and prevent further genocide.
Madam Speaker, while I was in Darfur, we had the opportunity to visit
the Alsalom Internally Displaced Persons Camp, where some 47,000 people
live in the most humble of conditions, some in huts made of twigs
barely the size of a pup tent, with perhaps a piece of cloth or plastic
to provide some additional protection. This is one of a hundred such
camps spread across Darfur containing nearly 2 million people.
While there, we had the opportunity to meet some very wonderful and
very desperate people. We had the opportunity to look into the eyes of
children, children who have the same hopes and expectations that all
young children have, and yet, as I stood there, I realized how
uncertain their future was.
As long as that condition exists, the United States must continue to
be the leader in shining a spotlight on what is going on in Sudan and
working together to bring an end to this atrocity, and to bring hope,
real hope, to those children.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentleman from
New Jersey, Congressman Bill Pascrell, a member of the Committee on
Ways and Means.
Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise to speak on an issue on which our
Nation is united and the House is united, an issue upon which people
from different political parties, people from all races and religious
faiths agree upon, and that is the issue of Darfur. It should be a
lesson for the rest of the day, what Ms. Lee and what Mr. Smith are
doing here.
So I stand today as a proud cosponsor of this legislation, the Darfur
Partners for Peace for 2007. And I wish to thank both Congresswoman Lee
and Congressman Smith, and all the rest who had anything to do with
this, my good friend, Congressman Payne, your personal experiences are
heart wrenching, and America is listening.
America and much of the world stands united on the fact that more
needs to be done to end the ongoing genocide in Darfur and finally
address the dire humanitarian situation in the region. I have never
seen an issue affect young Americans more than this issue on Darfur. We
need to tap that. They are engaged.
A few nations, including China, have stood in the way of applying
real pressure to the Sudanese Government to allow a real U.N.
peacekeeping force so that the people of Darfur can finally have a
sense of security, like every human being desires.
Among those who arguably have not done enough to end this horrendous
genocide are the nations of the Arab League. I ask the Arab League to
hear our voices, not only in Darfur, but also in the northern part of
the continent, also in the Middle East. They must come forward and have
the courage and the guts to speak up and do something.
The bill before us today would call upon that league to recognize the
conflict in Darfur as genocide, the past resolution supporting and
accepting a robust hybrid United Nations-African Union peacekeeping
force, and to work with all the parties involved in the region.
There can be no excuse for inaction. By most estimates, over 400,000
people in Darfur have died, and an astounding 2.5 million people have
been made into refugees, creating a humanitarian crisis of shocking
proportions.
Terror comes in many forms, none of which are convenient. Many worry
that the relative inaction of the Arab League to this crisis is subject
to fuel the following falsehoods:
The fact is that this conflict is not about Muslims versus non-
Muslims because the people of Darfur are predominantly Muslim. This
conflict is not about Arabs versus non-Arabs because the Arabs of
Darfur have stood against the Sudanese Government's war.
Quite simply, this conflict is about the Sudanese Government's
attempt to subjugate and brutalize the innocent people of Darfur.
President Bashir is not in denial. He is allowing the genocide.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield such time as he may
consume to the distinguished gentleman from Kansas (Mr. Moran).
Mr. MORAN of Kansas. I appreciate the gentleman from New Jersey
yielding time. He has been a leader on this and other issues for so
long, and I am honored to be here with him here today.
Madam Speaker, often on this floor, way too often from my
perspective, we see a divisive, partisan discussion and debate. But,
Madam Speaker, today we speak about an issue in which there is no
partisanship and there is no political divide, and that, Madam Speaker,
is what is transpiring and has transpired over the last several years
in Darfur.
We know that there have been 2 million citizens of Sudan who no
longer live in their homes or villages. We know that there has been
450,000 people killed in Sudan. It is something that demands our
attention. It is something that we as Congress, we as a country, we as
a world, must come together to bring the death and destruction, the
inhumanity and the hunger and violence to an end.
Madam Speaker, I had the opportunity several weeks ago to join the
honorable majority leader (Mr. Hoyer), the distinguished majority
leader of this House, along with the ranking Republican of the House
Foreign Affairs Committee, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, to visit Darfur. And
there, of course, we had the opportunity to visit with government
officials, as we in Congress often do. But we also had the opportunity
to see for ourselves the conditions that human beings are living in
today. And while I hope our meetings with government officials were
useful, I know the view I saw, the scenes that were brought to my
attention, the people of Darfur I met transcend any meeting I could
have had with a government official to discuss what is going on. But it
was an opportunity for me to see my life change as a human being, and
to see that we all have a cause to see that life prevails and justice
endures.
Upon my return, Madam Speaker, last Tuesday I took the opportunity to
visit the Holocaust Museum. That week was the Week of Remembrance of
the Holocaust. And while there, I saw the quote from Isaiah, Isaiah
43:10, ``You are my witness.'' Madam Speaker, that speaks to me and
should speak to all of us. We are the witnesses of a holocaust today.
Many Members of Congress, much more so than me and for much longer
periods of time, have paid attention to this issue and have been trying
to rise to the occasion and bring awareness to the world, and I commend
those colleagues who have been outspoken on this issue for a long, long
time, and today I join them.
Recently, I returned back to the Holocaust Museum where President
Bush spoke. He spoke certainly about the remembrance of the death and
destruction of the Jewish community, the people of Jewish faith who
have suffered, but he also brought home the importance of addressing
genocide and death today.
I commend the President for his demands that the Sudanese Government
allow the African Union and the United Nations peacekeeping force, that
they be allowed to reach out and be increased in their force, that they
reach out to rebel leaders, that the Sudanese Government end its
support for violent janjaweed militia and they permit humanitarian aid
workers to do their work. President Bush outlined some steps that we as
a country are willing to take and requests that we will make to the
United Nations.
Congress designated last week as The Days of Remembrance in order to
commemorate the victims of the Holocaust. While at the Holocaust
Museum, I learned much about the reach of the Holocaust and saw the
images of death and dehumanization.
As I reflected upon the Jews' past and considered the future of
African tribes in Darfur, I have a question to ask: Are we going to
wait until the proportions of death are similar to the Holocaust before
we take action?
The part of the exhibit that moved me the most, Madam Speaker, was
the list of 10,000 individuals who took action during the Holocaust.
They have been identified by the Israelis as ``the Righteous Among the
Nations,'' those who risked their lives to save innocent Jews during
Nazi rule.
[[Page H4062]]
When the conflict in Darfur has ended, everyone will feel sorrow for
the unnecessary loss of life. But will our Nation be among those, will
we, as individuals, be among those who feel shame for inaction, or will
we have the opportunity to have pride for standing up for justice in
Darfur?
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from
Illinois, the Honorable Bobby Rush, chairman of the Energy and Commerce
Subcommittee on Commerce Trade and Consumer Protection.
Mr. RUSH. I want to thank the gentleman for yielding, and I want to
commend you and all the others, my colleague from California, my other
colleagues and friends who have worked so tirelessly on this particular
issue, and on other issues.
Congresswoman Lee, you are an inspiration to all of us because of the
stance that you take on these and other humanitarian issues.
Madam Speaker, I rise today to show my strongest support for the
Darfur Partners for Peace Act. We must continue to put pressure on the
international community to intervene on behalf of the hundreds of
thousands of men, women and children who are being brutally slaughtered
even as we speak in the killing fields called Darfur. With over 2
million people displaced, and more than 400,000 people murdered, we
cannot allow the world to become numb to the tragedy that is taking
place in the Sudan.
Madam Speaker, after Rwanda we said ``Never again. Never again. Never
again.'' Well, Madam Speaker, never is now. This is a genocide, and now
is the time to act. Now is the time to speak out, and now is the time
to stand up against this viciousness and cruelty.
Madam Speaker, we can do no less than to use all of the resources,
every resource at our command, every fiber in our body, every moral
indignation that we can find in our humanity. We can do no less than to
stand up now and to speak out against the killing of women, men and
children in Darfur. Our future as a nation will be predicated on the
issues and on how we react and stop this genocide.
Madam Speaker, a year from now, 2 years from now, 10 years from now,
20 years from now an apology should not be necessary and an apology
should not be appropriate for this kind of tragedy. Never is now. Speak
out now.
{time} 1115
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, to the Tenth District of Ohio, the
Honorable Dennis J. Kucinich, chairman of the Oversight and Government
Reform Subcommittee on Domestic Policy, I yield 1 minute.
Mr. KUCINICH. I thank the gentleman.
Madam Speaker, it has been long recognized that the Government of
Sudan has tremendous responsibility to protect human rights and to
maintain law and order. However, I would submit that the policies of
the United States, since the Government of Sudan has said to be
cooperating in the dubious war on terrorism, the Government of the
United States has not been aggressive enough in causing Sudan to assert
its responsibility for matters affecting Darfur in the first place.
Furthermore, there has to be a commitment obtained by that government
to, first of all, investigate any of the war crimes and to see them
taken to the ICC.
I think that it is imperative that this Congress not just pass this
resolution but makes this the beginning of an ongoing effort to address
the issues in Darfur.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I reserve the balance of my
time.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, it is now my distinct honor to yield to
the gentleman from Maryland, the distinguished majority leader of the
House of Representatives, recently returned from leading the delegation
in this House personally to see the suffering going on, Mr. Steny
Hoyer.
Mr. HOYER. I thank my friend Mr. Ackerman for yielding, and I thank
him for his leadership and commitment for decades to issues of human
rights, humanitarian concerns, and peace.
I thank my friend Barbara Lee who has been such an extraordinary
leader. She worked for a gentleman that is a great hero of mine, Ron
Dellums, who, when he was on this floor raised his voice for peace,
raised his voice on behalf of the dispossessed, raised his voice on
behalf of those who were under attack. Barbara Lee has continued that
very strong voice in representing that district. She is one of the
experts in this House on issues relating to Africa, issues relating to
AIDS, and on efforts to attain peace and securing this world for the
citizens of this world.
I am also, Madam Speaker, very pleased to join my friend Chris Smith.
I had the privilege of cochairing the Helsinki Commission with Mr.
Smith for a number of years and serving with him for 15 years on the
Helsinki Commission before I became the minority whip and took leave
from the commission. I want to thank him. Not only in a collegial sense
does he participate in these matters, but probably as much as any
Member in this House of the 435 and the literally, probably, 2,000 that
he and I have served with over the years has personally, individually,
gone to some of the most troubled spots in the world. No publicity, no
large delegation, no Air Force plane; I am going to speak briefly about
the fact that we were able, but on his own.
He and Frank Wolf, two of our Members who have gone to people in
trouble and at risk and taken their hand and heard their story and
brought it back and exposed it to the light of day. I thank Mr. Smith
for his leadership over the more than two decades, almost a quarter of
a century that he and I have served together in this House.
This is a serious issue.
I want to congratulate Jerry Moran. Jerry Moran had not been on many
codels or traveled. Barbara Lee came over to me as he was speaking and
said he got the message.
That is why we travel. Sometimes the public thinks that traveling is
just a junket. Going to Darfur is no junket. Living in Darfur is much
worse.
When I determined that I was going to take a delegation overseas as
my first trip as majority leader of this House, I thought that I wanted
to go to someplace where it was important that we tell the world that
we thought they ought to be paying attention to. The world has been
paying attention to it, so many people have gone to Darfur. But we went
to Darfur, 11 of us went to Darfur, myself, Barbara Lee from
California, Jerry Moran from Kansas, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen as the ranking
Republican on the Foreign Affairs Committee, Greg Meeks from New York,
Brad Miller from North Carolina, G.K. Butterfield from North Carolina,
Bob Goodlatte from Virginia, Ray LaHood from Illinois, John Barrow from
Georgia, and Jim Costa from California. A delegation of Democrats and
Republicans who, when the plane took off from Andrews Air Force Base,
flew not as Republicans or Democrats, but flew as Americans, flew as
Americans who were concerned about humanitarian distress.
Madam Speaker, I want to thank the gentlewoman from California,
Congresswoman Lee, for her hard work in bringing this important
bipartisan resolution to the floor this morning and for her dedicated
leadership in focusing attention on the continuing genocide in the
Darfur region of Sudan.
Jerry Moran is correct; all of us know that we talk about never
forgetting, but never forgetting is not enough. Remembering is the
first step, but acting is the absolutely essential step.
Since 2003, more than 400,000 people have been killed in Darfur, and
an estimated 2\1/2\ million people have been displaced, mothers,
sisters, brothers, old and feebled, sick.
Our delegation, as I know you have, Mr. Smith, Mr. Ackerman, I know
you as well, have had the opportunity to visit in the camps, in the
medical facilities, talked to the mothers, talked to the children. I
talked to a grandmother who had been forced away from her home by
somebody. Was it the government? Was it a rebel group? Was it simply a
band of thieves and criminals? Whatever it was, she was homeless. Her
family was dispossessed, and she had nowhere to go except a displaced
person's camp. That calls out to us to us in this House, it calls out
to everybody in this globe to respond in a positive way to relieve that
suffering.
[[Page H4063]]
The United Nations has identified the situation in Darfur as the
worst current humanitarian and human rights crisis in the world. The
United States calls it genocide.
Simply stated, the international community must not turn a blind eye
to the suffering of innocents as has happened far too often throughout
human history.
The international community's plaintive cry ``never again'' requires
real collective action in Darfur now. There are people acting now, but
they do not have enough help. This time we must prove that we mean it:
Not now, never again.
House Concurrent Resolution 7 has 115 cosponsors on both sides of the
aisle, and it is my hope that it will get 433, we have two Members who
are no longer with us, 433 votes. This is an important step in this
cause.
Congresswoman Lee's resolution calls on the League of Arab States to
acknowledge the genocide in Darfur, to support and accept the United
Nations peacekeepers as the best option to enforce a cease-fire,
protect civilians, and ensure access for humanitarian workers, to work
with the international community to bring about a lasting peace in
Darfur.
In fact, Madam Speaker, during the recent bipartisan congressional
delegation that I have spoken of to Sudan, a codel which included, as I
said, Congresswoman Lee and the others, we also went to Egypt. Egypt is
one, of course, of the most important members of the arab League, the
largest Arab state, an important member in the league. I have been told
that President Mubarak, at our request when we met with him, followed
up on his pledge to our delegation to reach out to Sudanese President
Bashir who has, unfortunately and tragically, been part of the problem,
not part of the solution, deemed by the international community as
someone who has facilitated and, yes, even participated in the
humanitarian crisis that exists. We urged his government and President
Mubarak says that he has urged Bashir to accept and facilitate
humanitarian workers' work, to make their visas acceptable, make their
travel around the country easier. I also understand that Foreign
Minister Gheit, with whom we met, is currently in Sudan, and it is my
hope that he is delivering the same message that we spoke of.
Now is not the time to offer a full report of our codel; however, I
do want to briefly highlight the five specific steps that I believe
must be taken in Darfur without delay.
First, it is imperative that we continue to ensure humanitarian
access in Darfur.
Second, the international community must insist that the Bashir
government accept more peacekeeping troops.
Third, we must initiate a process by which a political solution
between the warring factions can be reached.
Fourth, we must make a stronger effort to engage Sudan's neighbors in
the peace process, which was what this resolution is designed to do.
And, fifth, we must work with the Sudanese Government to help forge a
comprehensive plan for stability and reconstruction across the whole of
the country. North Sudan was mentioned by my friend Bill Pascrell, as
well as South Sudan which we visited.
Madam Speaker, I again want to thank Congresswoman Lee, Congressman
Ackerman, Congressman Smith, and all of our colleagues for this effort
today. They continue to focus on Darfur. I urge all of my colleagues to
unanimously support this very important resolution, a call to action, a
call to humanitarian relief.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I yield myself 2 minutes.
First, let me say to the distinguished majority leader, I want to
thank him for his leadership on a broad range of human rights issues.
And I think it speaks volumes that the first trip as majority leader
that you put together was to Darfur to try to promote peace and
reconciliation. So I very much want to commend you for that.
I also thank you for your compliments to Frank Wolf and I; but I
would add to that, when you talk about going to remote places, that
also applies to you. I think Members should know that there were a
number of trips that we undertook during the dark days of the Soviet
Union when human rights were being crushed daily. I will never forget a
trip we took to Lithuania, led by then Chairman Hoyer when Lansbergis,
the President, was under siege, was literally surrounded by Soviet
Black Berets. And we went there, to be a presence, to be a deterrent.
Just prior to our arrival, more than a dozen people were murdered at TV
tower, the gentleman will recall, but he nevertheless led our
delegation to Vilnius and I do believe it had an impact in trying to
mitigate further bloodshed. That's just one example. So I want to
commend the distinguished majority leader for his leadership on Darfur.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to Ms. Sheila Jackson-Lee.
(Ms. JACKSON-LEE asked and was given permission to revise and extend
her remarks.)
Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas. I can rise enthusiastically to thank both
Mr. Ackerman for managing this bill and his leadership and certainly
sensitivity to these issues. I thank my good friend and colleague,
Ranking Member Smith, who has much roadway in front of him and behind
him on these issues dealing with human rights. I am very proud to be a
strong member of the Human Rights Caucus that has worked consistently
on addressing these issues. And, I thank my friend and colleague,
Congresswoman Barbara Lee. We have worked on many, many issues
together.
I am reminded of our first Presidential congressional trip to Africa,
three women who went to address then, some almost 10 years ago, the
devastation of HIV/AIDS, and we have pursued these issues of
empowerment.
{time} 1130
There is no doubt, there is no quarreling with the fact that 450,000
have died. The janjaweed is alive and well. It is important that
Members of Congress have been to the Darfur region and the south.
I am reminded of the time that I sat on the ground in Chad with
refugees fleeing from the Sudan, and looked in the faces of women who
had been brutalized and raped only because they left their village to
get firewood to survive. That is what is going on today in 2007.
I also remember the time I can say on the floor of the House that I
was banished, and not as some Members have been over the years, given
visas to enter into Darfur and had to be utilizing extraordinary means.
This is inhuman. This is not civil. This is not a nation that is part
of the world family.
This resolution is very straightforward: Get your friends to talk to
you about ensuring the United Nations can do its work. I ask that this
resolution be supported so the raped women can have relief and
response.
Madam Speaker, the current crisis in the Darfur region of Sudan is of
paramount importance. Although Americans may differ greatly on many
issues, there is a widespread and broad-based consensus among Democrats
and Republicans alike that the ongoing genocide in Darfur is
intolerable and must be ended. Today we are presented with a great
opportunity to work in a bipartisan fashion to achieve a humanitarian
result in responding to the overwhelming suffering in Darfur.
Not since the Rwandan genocide of 1994 has the world seen such a
systematic campaign of displacement, starvation, rape, mass murder, and
terror as we are witnessing in Darfur for the last three years. At
least 400,000 people have been killed; more than 2 million innocent
civilians have been forced to flee their homes and now live in
displaced-persons camps in Sudan or in refugee camps in neighboring
Chad; and more than 3.5 million men, women, and children are completely
reliant on international aid for survival.
Unless the world stirs from its slumber and takes concerted and
decisive action to relieve this suffering, the ongoing genocide in
Darfur will stand as one of the blackest marks on humankind for
centuries to come. The people of Darfur cannot wait. The time has come
for decisive leadership from the United States.
It has been more than 2 years since my colleagues and I in the
Congressional Black Caucus Darfur Task Force met with Secretary Colin
Powell. We pressed successfully for the Administration to declare that
the campaign of ethnic cleansing and atrocities against civilians in
Sudan is genocide. The atrocities are committed primarily by the
government of Sudan and its allied Janjaweed militias.
It has been more than a year since I flew to Chad, walked across the
border to Sudan, and met with African Union troops who pleaded for more
peacekeeping authority and the resources to protect the refugees from
violence, rather than merely monitor it. After returning
[[Page H4064]]
from that Congressional delegation, I worked with other Members of
Congress to secure increased funding to aid the thousands of Sudanese
displaced to refugee camps in Chad and to provide additional funding to
assist Chad in responding to the humanitarian crisis.
It has been almost two years since the UN Security Council adopted
Resolution 1556 demanding that the government of Sudan disarm the
Janjaweed. This demand was later followed by Resolution 1706, which
authorizes a 20,000 strong U.N. peacekeeping force.
It has been 9 months since the Darfur Peace Agreement was brokered in
May 2006 between the government of Sudan and one faction of Darfur
rebels.
However, signs of progress have recently emerged, even if it has come
too late for the dead. The Sudanese government agreed to let a 3,500-
person-strong United Nations peacekeeping force enter the country and
join the African Union troops already there. It made the decision under
pressure and only after months of unwarranted backtracking and delay.
But the Sudanese government has resisted the U.N.'s efforts to send
20,000 peacekeepers to Darfur. Let me be clear: the difference between
a small, targeted force and a substantial deployment is no mere
sticking point. It is absolutely essential.
It is essential to stopping the Arab militias from continuing to
perpetuate a genocide. It is essential to clearing the path for crucial
food and water and health supplies to reach refugee camps. And it is
essential because injustice is only really addressed when it is
obliterated, not when it is slowed to an excruciating trickle of
displacement, harassment, and disrupted lives. We must have that larger
U.N. force in Sudan. The international community has spoken with one
voice but more pressure needs to be applied on Khartoum.
This resolution urges those who may have the most influence, the Arab
League and its member states, to declare the systematic torture, rape,
and displacement of Darfurians a genocide; to support and accept U.N.
peacekeepers to enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure
access to humanitarian assistance in Darfur; and to work with the
United Nations, the African Union and the United States Presidential
Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring about peace and
stability to Darfur, the refugee camps, and along the Chadian border.
H. Con. Res. 7 urges the League of Arab States to: (1) declare the
systematic torture, rape, and displacement of Darfurians a genocide;
(2) pass a resolution to support and accept U.N. peacekeepers to
enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure access to
humanitarian assistance in Darfur; and (3) work with the United
Nations, the African Union and the United States Presidential Special
Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring about peace and stability to
Darfur, the refugee camps, and along the Chadian border.
Nevertheless the violence continues; indeed, the violence is
escalating. This violence is making it even more dangerous, if not
impossible, for most of the millions of displaced persons to return to
their homes and for humanitarian relief agencies to bring food and
medical aid. According to Jan Egeland, the U.N.'s top humanitarian
official, the situation in Darfur is ``going from real bad to
catastrophic.''
We have come full circle. Violence is increasing, peace treaties and
resolutions are not being implemented, and action must be taken.
We must increase pressure on Sudan President Omar Hassan al-Bashir of
Sudan to allow in U.N. peacekeepers, or alternatively, a peacekeeping
force of similar size comprised of Arab and Muslim troops under the
auspices of the Arab League. As with any government, dialogue is the
best way to attempt a solution to the issue at hand. However, previous
engagements have too often yielded poor results--the government of
Sudan has been all too willing to cooperate on the surface level by
signing agreements and the like and all too willing to fail to
implement them.
In 1997, the Clinton Administration imposed trade and economic
sanctions on Sudan, an approach which I feel is likely to yield the
best results. However, sanctions imposed by a limited number of
countries do not pressure the government of Sudan adequately enough. It
must be noted that no just and lasting peace in Sudan can be achieved
without the responsible intervention of China.
For too long, China, which is Sudan's biggest oil consumer, has also
served as Khartoum's enabler and protector by preventing the U.N.
Security Council from imposing more serious sanctions on Sudan in
response to the genocide and crimes against humanity committed in
Darfur. As former Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick stated in a
major policy speech on China a year ago: ``China should take more than
oil from Sudan--it should take some responsibility for resolving
Sudan's human crisis.'' It is my hope that China may be persuaded to
provide the type of constructive leadership in Sudan befitting a great
power.
These are the kind of constructive efforts that I feel will best
represent the interests of the people of Darfur to bring an end to this
horrible crisis. I am in favor of deploying U.N. peacekeeping troops to
the region, and the U.N. needs to move swiftly. In addition, any
options regarding United States military intervention should be
carefully considered and not ruled out.
As we consider these options, Madam Speaker, I would like to remind
you that it is not too early to begin the planning efforts needed to
transform the Darfur region from a killing field to an economically,
politically, and socially viable community. This work will, of course,
require the active and purposeful engagement of the United States and
other key stakeholders, such as China, and the Arab League.
Finally, we must be bold and imaginative in fashioning a solution
commensurate with the scale of the problem. The way to do that is to
develop a Marshall Plan for the Sudan. But the United Nations, and the
international community, must draw a line in the sand and act to stop
the genocide in Darfur. The words of President Lincoln speak to us from
the ages:
[W]e cannot escape history. We, of this Congress and this
administration, will be remembered in spite of ourselves. No
personal significance, or insignificance, can spare one or
another of us. The fiery trial through which we pass, will
light us down, in honor or dishonor, to the latest
generation.
It speaks volumes that H. Con. Res. 7 has 111 co-sponsors, and I urge
all of my colleagues to support this resolution.
Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Madam Speaker, I ask unanimous consent to
yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman), and that
he may control that time.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the
gentleman from New Jersey?
There was no objection.
Mr. ACKERMAN. I thank the gentleman for accommodating our Members on
the majority side.
Madam Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentlewoman from New York
(Ms. Clarke), the newest member of our delegation.
Ms. CLARKE. Madam Speaker, I rise today in support of H. Con. Res. 7,
a resolution offered by the gentlelady from California calling on the
League of Arab States to recognize the genocide that is currently
taking place in Darfur, Sudan. The facts regarding the situation on the
ground are indisputable. The Government of Sudan, through its proxy
militia, the janjaweed, have been launching a scorched earth campaign
in Darfur. More than 400,000 people have been murdered, and more than 2
million have been forcefully displaced.
This resolution calls upon the League of Arab States to acknowledge
the genocide in Darfur and to pressure the Sudanese Government to take
steps to bring the killings to an end.
The purpose of the League of Arab States is to coordinate the
cultural and securities policies of its member states, of which Sudan
is a member. If genocide or any atrocity is taking place in one member
state, the other member states have a duty to recognize and act to end
it.
Sudan has not moved to end the slaughter of its innocent civilians in
Darfur. The international community, in particular the League of Arab
States, must be united in its call for Sudan to end the genocide, stop
the pillaging, stop the rape of women and girls, disarm the janjaweed
and prosecute those responsible.
Mr. SHAYS. Madam Speaker, I strongly support this resolution calling
on the Arab League to acknowledge the genocide in the Darfur region of
Sudan and to step up their efforts to end it. The world collectively
agreed to ``never again'' allow genocide after the 1994 mass murders in
Rwanda. Tragically, genocide is again taking place.
The security, human rights and humanitarian situation in Darfur has
continued to deteriorate since the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed in
May 2006. Until a more effective U.N. peacekeeping force can be
deployed to Sudan, we must continue to expand our support for the
existing African Union forces on the ground in Darfur.
It is also critical the international community begin implementing
and expanding the reach of some of the measures that have already been
agreed in the Security Council including targeted sanctions, asset
freezes and travel bans for Sudanese government leaders.
Unfortunately the concerns of the United States and many of our
allies have fallen on deaf ears within the Sudanese government. It is
especially difficult to convince a regime as callous and apathetic as
Sudan of our determination to see the genocide end when other
[[Page H4065]]
nations are not supporting our efforts. I am very concerned China,
Russia and Arab League states have thwarted attempts to enact stronger
sanctions and more quickly deploy international peacekeepers. There is
a genocide occurring in Sudan, and all Nations are duty-bound to end
it.
In August of last year the Arab League supported Sudan's refusal of a
U.N. peacekeeping force in Darfur, and then passed a resolution calling
for more time for the Sudanese government to improve conditions there.
Madam Speaker, how much time should we give them? How many lives will
be lost in the meantime?
Stronger action to end the genocide must be swift and resolving this
crisis must be one of our world's highest priorities. Having the
assistance, or at least ending the willful neglect of the genocide by
Sudan's Arab League neighbors, would be extremely helpful.
I thank Congresswoman Barbara Lee, as well as other members who have
championed this issue, including Frank Wolf and Tom Lantos, for
bringing this important resolution to the floor, and urge its passage.
Ms. WATERS. Madam Speaker, I rise to support H. Con Res. 7, which
strongly urges the League of Arab States to step up their diplomatic
efforts to stop the genocide in Darfur. This resolution urges the
League of Arab States and each individual Member State to:
(1) Declare the systematic torture, rape, and displacement of the
people of Darfur a genocide;
(2) Pass a resolution at their next meeting to support and accept a
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force to enforce the
ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure access to humanitarian
assistance in Darfur; and
(3) Work with the United Nations, the African Union and the United
States Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring
about real and lasting peace and stability in Darfur, the refugee
camps, and along the Chadian border.
On August 20 of last year, the League of Arab States met in Egypt and
supported Sudan's refusal to allow a United Nations peacekeeping force
in Darfur. The following month, the League of Arab States called for
the United Nations Security Council to give the government of Sudan
more time to improve security conditions in Darfur. By that time, it
had already been estimated that over 450,000 people had died as a
result of genocide in Darfur. Since then the death toll has continued
to mount.
Last year, I visited the Darfur region with my good friend, Speaker
Nancy Pelosi, and I was deeply disturbed by what I saw. As far as the
eyes could see, there were crowds of displaced people who had been
driven from their homes, living literally on the ground with little
tarps just covering them. It is unconscionable that this has been
allowed to continue for yet another year.
There can be no doubt that what is taking place in Darfur is
genocide, and the government of Sudan is responsible. The League of
Arab States should tell the government of Sudan that their time is up.
I urge my colleagues to vote in favor of this resolution, and I urge
the League of Arab States to take a firm stand against the crime of
genocide in Darfur.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. The question is on the motion offered by the
gentleman from New York (Mr. Ackerman) that the House suspend the rules
and agree to the concurrent resolution, H. Con. Res. 7, as amended.
The question was taken.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. In the opinion of the Chair, two-thirds
being in the affirmative, the ayes have it.
Mr. ACKERMAN. Madam Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.
The yeas and nays were ordered.
The SPEAKER pro tempore. Pursuant to clause 8 of rule XX and the
Chair's prior announcement, further proceedings on this question will
be postponed.
____________________