[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 28 (Wednesday, February 11, 2009)]
[House]
[Page H1214]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          SUDAN SPECIAL ENVOY

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under a previous order of the House, the 
gentleman from Virginia (Mr. Wolf) is recognized for 5 minutes.
  Mr. WOLF. I rise today to call on the Obama administration and 
Secretary of State Clinton to appoint a special envoy for the genocide 
that is taking place in Darfur. Senator Brownback and I were the first 
Members of Congress to go to Darfur. The genocide continues, and yet 
there's almost the sound of silence.
  This is a photo that Sam and I took of a village that had been bombed 
and the janjaweed come riding in on horseback. This is the janjaweed. 
They ride in, the Antonov bombers come over, they drop bombs here on 
these Russian-made bombers, then Soviet Hind helicopters come in and 
gun the people down. Then, the janjaweed people like this on horseback 
or camel come in, they rape the women, they burn, they torch the 
villages, then move on.
  Now, President Bush put a lot of time in this effort. Unfortunately, 
it was not concluded. But I want to commend the Obama administration 
for appointing a special envoy for the Middle East, former Senator 
Mitchell and also former Ambassador Holbrooke, for a special envoy for 
Afghanistan and Pakistan. But why not a special envoy for the people of 
Sudan and for Darfur?
  We call on them in a letter that went out today, particularly, and 
also asking Secretary Clinton to, when she goes to China, to publicly 
and privately urge the Chinese to help bring about the end of genocide.
  The Chinese have the largest embassy in Khartoum. They sell the 
weapons, the guns and all, to the Khartoum government, that are later 
given to the janjaweed to then continue this effort.
  Five years of genocide. And, Secretary Clinton, when she was a 
Senator, voted, I'm sure, for the first Brownback amendment that 
designated this activity in Darfur as genocide.
  So, in closing, Madam Speaker, I commend the administration for 
Mitchell in the Middle East. But when the people of Darfur are looking, 
they say, Special envoy to the Middle East, special envoy to Pakistan. 
Why not? Why not?
  I urge them today, before the end of this month, hopefully, even 
before the end of this week, a special envoy to help the people of 
Darfur.

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