[Congressional Record Volume 154, Number 75 (Wednesday, May 7, 2008)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E836-E837]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    DEVELOPING A COMPREHENSIVE REGIONAL STRATEGY IN CHAD AND DARFUR

                                 ______
                                 

                               speech of

                       HON. JANICE D. SCHAKOWSKY

                              of illinois

                    in the house of representatives

                          Monday, May 5, 2008

  Ms. SCHAKOWSKY. Madam Speaker, I rise today to express my strong 
support for H. Res. 1011, which calls on the United States and the 
international community to develop, fund, and implement a regional 
strategy which addresses the security and humanitarian crisis in Chad, 
the Darfur region of the Sudan, and the northern region of the Central 
African Republic.
  This timely and important legislation, of which I am proud to be a 
cosponsor, not only calls on the Governments of Chad and the Central 
African Republic to fulfill their obligations under international law 
to protect civilians, but also calls upon the President of the United 
States to continue humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally 
displaced persons in the region.
  Chad has been plagued by intermittent conflict, both internally and 
with its neighbors, since it gained independence in 1960. The current 
President of Chad, Idriss Deby, took power after launching a coup 
across the border in neighboring Darfur, Sudan. He has since faced at 
least five coup attempts including one just this past February. 
Violence spurred by the Sudanese Government has also continued to 
destabilize Chad and the State Department's most recent Country Report 
on Human Rights Practices that, ``the [Chadian] government's poor human 
rights record deteriorated further'' this past year.
  The refugee situation in Chad and the surrounding region continues to 
worsen. In the past three years, as fighting between the Government and 
rebels increased and 180,000 Chadians have been displaced, adding to 
the inflow of 290,000 refugees from the Central African Republic, CAR, 
and Sudan's Darfur region. The United Nations estimates that Chad is 
now home to 240,000 refugees from Darfur, 52,000 refugees from the 
Central African Republic, and more than 180,000 internally displaced 
people. In February 2008 alone over 12,000 new refugees from Darfur 
entered the country. We must develop a comprehensive plan to address 
the refugee crisis as well as the security problems that plague the 
region.
  I visited Darfur and have seen the situation on the ground. Now high-
tech GPS satellites and mass media allow everyone to bear witness to 
the tragedies in Chad, Sudan, and the

[[Page E837]]

surrounding areas: the burnt holes where villages used to be, the mass 
migrations of the internally displaced, starving children, and victims 
of rape.
  With this knowledge comes a duty to act. As the wars in Chad, Sudan, 
and Central African Republic become increasingly intertwined, and as 
the massive displacements continue across the region, the United States 
and the international community must engage the crisis on a regional 
level.
  This resolution recognizes that reality and calls for a comprehensive 
strategy to protect civilians, facilitate humanitarian operations, 
contain and reduce violence, and contribute to conditions for 
sustainable peace and good governance throughout the region with all 
nations.
  I thank the sponsor of this resolution, Mr. Wolf, for introducing 
this important resolution, and I urge all of my colleagues to support 
it.

                          ____________________