[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 58 (Monday, April 14, 2008)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2982-S2983]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
CALLING ON THE RELEVANT GOVERNMENTS, MULTILATERAL BODIES, AND NON-STATE
ACTORS IN CHAD, THE CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC, AND SUDAN
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Committee
on Foreign Relations be discharged from further consideration of S.
Res. 470, and that the Senate proceed to its immediate consideration.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered. The clerk
will report the resolution by title.
The legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 470) calling on the relevant
governments, multilateral bodies, and non-state actors in
Chad, the Central African Republic, and Sudan to devote ample
political commitment and material resources towards the
achievement and implementation of a negotiated resolution to
the national and regional conflicts in Chad, the Central
African Republic, and Darfur, Sudan.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution.
Mrs. BOXER. Mr. President, I ask unanimous that the resolution be
agreed to, the preamble be agreed to, the motions to reconsider be laid
upon the table, with no intervening action or debate, and that any
statements relating to the resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The resolution (S. Res. 470) was agreed to.
The preamble was agreed to.
The resolution, with its preamble, reads as follows:
S. Res. 470
Whereas armed groups have been moving freely among Sudan,
Chad, and the Central African Republic, committing murder,
banditry, forced recruitment, mass displacement, gender-based
violence, and other crimes that are contributing to
insecurity and instability throughout the region,
exacerbating the humanitarian crises in these
[[Page S2983]]
countries and obstructing efforts to end violence in the
Darfur region of Sudan and adjacent areas;
Whereas, on February 2, 2008, rebels stormed the capital of
Chad, N'Djamena, in their second coup attempt in two years,
prompting clashes with forces loyal to President of Chad
Idriss Deby that caused more than 100 civilian deaths,
thousands of displacements, and an estimated 10,000 refugees
from Chad to seek refuge in neighboring Cameroon;
Whereas, on February 2, 2008, the United States Embassy in
N'Djamena was forced to evacuate employees' families and all
nonemergency staff and urged United States citizens to defer
all travel to Chad;
Whereas, on February 2, 2008, the United States Government
condemned the armed attack on N'Djamena and expressed
``support [for] the [African Union]'s call for an immediate
end to armed attacks and to refrain from violence that might
harm innocent civilians'';
Whereas, on February 12, 2008, the United Nations High
Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) reported that recent
offensives by the Government of Sudan in Darfur have prompted
up to 12,000 new refugees to flee to neighboring Chad, where
the UNHCR and its partners are already struggling to take
care of 240,000 refugees from Sudan in eastern Chad and some
50,000 refugees from the Central African Republic in southern
Chad;
Whereas cross-border attacks by alleged Arab militias from
Sudan and related inter-communal ethnic hostilities in
eastern Chad have also resulted in the displacement of an
estimated 170,000 people from Chad in the region, adding to
the humanitarian need;
Whereas there have been allegations and evidence in both
Chad and Sudan of government support for dissident rebel
militias in each other's country, in direct violation of the
Tripoli Declaration of February 8, 2006, and the N'Djamena
Agreement of July 26, 2006;
Whereas, on January 16, 2008, the United Nations
Humanitarian Coordinator for the Central African Republic
reported that waves of violence across the north of that
country have left more than 1,000,000 people in need of
humanitarian assistance, including 150,000 who are internally
displaced, while some 80,000 have fled to neighboring Chad or
Cameroon;
Whereas, since late 2007, arrests, disappearances, and
harassment of journalists, human rights defenders, and
opposition leaders--particularly those reporting on military
operations and human rights conditions in eastern Chad--
mirror the repressive crackdown in the aftermath of an attack
on N'Djamena in April 2006, and conditions have only worsened
since the February 2008 attempted coup;
Whereas, on September 27, 2007, the United Nations Security
Council passed Security Council Resolution 1778 (2007),
authorizing a limited United Nations peacekeeping mission
(MINURCAT) and a concurrent European-led force (EUFOR), which
is permitted to ``take all necessary measures'' to protect
refugees, civilians, and aid workers in eastern Chad and
northern Central African Republic;
Whereas, despite the explicit support of President Deby,
deployment of both the 3,700 EUFOR troops and the 350
MINURCAT officers has been hampered by political and security
delays as well as insufficient resources; and
Whereas continuing hostilities will undermine efforts to
bring security to Sudan's Darfur region, dangerously
destabilize volatile political and humanitarian situations in
Chad and the Central African Republic, and potentially
disrupt progress towards peace in southern Sudan: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) expresses the concern and compassion of the citizens of
the United States for the hundreds of thousands of citizens
of Sudan, Chad, and the Central African Republic who have
been gravely affected by this interrelated violence and
instability;
(2) calls upon all parties to these conflicts to cease
hostilities immediately and uphold basic human rights;
(3) urges the governments of Chad and Sudan, with support
from other key regional and international stakeholders,
including France, Libya, and China, to commit to another
round of inclusive negotiations towards a sustainable
political solution for national and regional stability
facilitated and monitored by impartial third-party
leadership;
(4) calls upon the governments of Chad and Sudan to
reaffirm their commitment to the Tripoli Declaration of
February 8, 2006, and the N'Djamena Agreement of July 26,
2006, refrain from any actions that violate these agreements,
and cease all logistical, financial, and military support to
insurgent groups;
(5) urges the Government of Chad to increase political
participation, strengthen democratic institutions, respect
human rights, improve accountability and transparency as well
as the provision of basic services, and uphold its commitment
to protect its own citizens in order to redeem the legitimacy
of the Government in the eyes of its citizens and the
international community;
(6) calls for diplomatic and material support from the
United States and the international community to facilitate,
implement, and monitor a comprehensive peace process that
includes an inclusive dialogue with all relevant stakeholders
to end violence, demobilize militias, and promote return and
reconstruction for internally displaced persons and refugees;
and
(7) encourages the United States Government and the
international community to provide immediate and ongoing
support for the multilateral peacekeeping missions in Darfur,
eastern Chad, and the northern Central African Republic,
along with adequate assistance to meet the continuing
humanitarian and security needs of the individuals and areas
most affected by these interrelated conflicts.
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