[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 143 (Friday, September 23, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E1719-E1721]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




        HUMANITARIAN CRISIS AND HUMAN RIGHTS VIOLATIONS IN SUDAN

                                 ______
                                 

                           HON. FRANK R. WOLF

                              of virginia

                    in the house of representatives

                       Friday, September 23, 2011

  Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to bring to my colleagues' 
attention a powerful hearing that the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
Commission--of which I am a co-chair--held on September 22, 2011 to 
discuss the humanitarian atrocities that are taking place in Sudan, 
including Darfur.
  I submit for the record the moving testimonies of two of the 
panelists--former member of Congress, the Honorable Thomas H. Andrews, 
and Ms. Jehanne Henry of Human Rights Watch. I hope that my colleagues 
will take a moment to read these testimonies and realize that the 
atrocities mentioned are taking place and continue to take place today.
  The United States must not turn a blind eye to this part of the 
world.

                  [Human Rights Watch, Sept. 22, 2011]

  Testimony to the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission regarding Sudan

                           (By Jehanne Henry)

       Good morning, Chairman McGovern, Chairman Wolf and 
     distinguished Members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights 
     Commission. Thank you for inviting me to this important 
     hearing on Sudan, particularly in view of new conflict and 
     human rights abuses occurring in Southern Kordofan and Blue 
     Nile states as we speak.
       I was asked to speak on my recent visit to Southern 
     Kordofan. I will keep my comments brief and ask that our 
     August 30 report on the situation in Southern Kordofan be 
     submitted for the record.
       As you are aware, South Sudan seceded from Sudan on July 9, 
     following a January referendum under the terms of the 2005 
     Comprehensive Peace Agreement. While these events transpired 
     relatively smoothly, new conflicts erupted in key areas north 
     of the border, where the reforms envisioned in the peace 
     agreement never occurred.
       Weeks after Sudan militarily overtook the disputed border 
     area of Abyei in late May, in violation of the CPA, fighting 
     between government and SPLA forces broke out in neighboring 
     Southern Kordofan, home to large ethnic Nuba populations with 
     longstanding ties to the SPLM.
       The fighting broke out amid growing tensions over disputed 
     state elections, in which Ahmed Haroun--who is wanted by the 
     International Criminal Court for war crimes and crimes 
     against humanity in Darfur--claimed a narrow victory for 
     governor. The two parties also disagreed over the terms of 
     troop withdrawals under the security arrangements in the CPA.
       According to witnesses we interviewed and other sources, 
     government forces shelled civilian areas, shot people in the 
     streets and carried out house-to-house searches and arrests 
     based on lists of names of known SPLM supporters in the first 
     weeks of fighting. Many people I interviewed saw dead bodies 
     and evidence of looting and burning as they escaped the town.
       The witness accounts are consistent with many of the 
     findings in an August 15 report by the Office of the High 
     Commissioner for Human Rights, which documents unlawful 
     killings and attacks on civilians and other serious human 
     rights violations that could amount to war crimes and crimes 
     against humanity.
       In late August, I visited Southern Kordofan. Although 
     government restrictions prevented us from visiting Kadugli 
     itself and other government-controlled areas, we visited many 
     towns and villages deep in the Nuba Mountains, where hundreds 
     of thousands of people have taken refuge from fighting and 
     ongoing indiscriminate bombing by the Sudanese government.
       While I was there, I saw government planes circling 
     overhead on a near-daily basis, sometimes multiple times per 
     day. I also saw three bombs falling out of an aircraft, and 
     heard them explode a few kilometers away. We investigated 13 
     air separate strikes in Kauda, Delami, and Kurchi areas--a 
     small fraction of the total number of air strikes in Nuba 
     Mountains--in which bomb fragments brutally killed at least 
     26 people, including women and children, and injured 45 
     others, maiming many for life.
       According to those we interviewed, there were no military 
     targets in areas where bombs fell. None of the incidents we 
     investigated occurred close to front lines or in areas of 
     active combat. The type of munitions used and the manner in 
     which they were delivered--unguided, dropped from high 
     altitudes--are further evidence that the bombings were 
     indiscriminate and therefore unlawful.
       The bombing is ongoing, and has a devastating impact on the 
     Nuba population. People forced out of their homes now live in 
     harsh conditions under boulders, in caves, on mountaintops, 
     under trees, and in the bush far from towns where they fear 
     being struck by bombs. They lacked sufficient food, medicine, 
     and shelter from the rains--many are now eating berries and 
     leaves, and their children are suffering from diarrhea and 
     malaria. Many we met were separated from

[[Page E1720]]

     family members living in government controlled areas.
       Humanitarian groups estimate that more than 200,000 people 
     have been displaced, either by the outbreak of fighting in 
     early June, by ongoing fighting along several front lines, 
     and by the ongoing bombing campaign. The number may be 
     higher, as heavy rains and lack of fuel for vehicles and 
     security concerns restricted access to many SPLM-North-
     controlled areas.
       Yet the Sudanese government has blocked humanitarian 
     assistance to opposition areas as well as many government-
     held areas. On August 20, aid groups tried to carry out an 
     assessment but were allowed only to Kadugli town. On August 
     23, President Al-Bashir publicly stated that no international 
     groups would be allowed in. Indeed, Sudan has done everything 
     possible to ensure there are no ``eyes and ears'' on the 
     ground. It has prevented journalists, researchers, diplomats 
     and UN staff from visiting the area, and forced the UN 
     peacekeepers to leave.
       In recent weeks, this conflict has spread to neighboring 
     Blue Nile state and the government has clamped down on SPLM-
     North across the country, arresting more than 100 suspected 
     supporters, banning political parties, and restricting media 
     coverage of the conflicts. We have credible reports that the 
     government is bombing civilian areas in Blue Nile also. Tens 
     of thousands of people fled their homes.
       Sudan faces many political challenges: growing dissent from 
     marginalized populations in its peripheries; active conflicts 
     in two border states and in Darfur, for eight years running; 
     and it has lost one-third of its territory and faces serious 
     economic challenges. Unfortunately, its leaders have chosen 
     to respond to these challenges through repression and armed 
     conflict rather than by upholding rights, opening political 
     space, pursuing democratic reforms.
       The United States has shown leadership. Ambassador Rice 
     condemned the violence early on and requested UN reporting on 
     human rights violations. The state department has also 
     condemned the continued aerial bombing. This continued 
     leadership is critical.
       The United Nations Security Council and the Africa Union 
     have yet to even condemn the violations, despite the evidence 
     of indiscriminate bombing and despite the UN High 
     Commissioner for Human Rights warning that war crimes and 
     crimes against humanity may have occurred in Southern 
     Kordofan.
       We urge the US to press for: a strong condemnation of the 
     ongoing violations in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile; an 
     international monitoring presence, with a requirement for 
     continued human rights monitoring; and a full and independent 
     investigation into violations of international human rights 
     and humanitarian law.
       Finally, the US needs to remain steadfast in making no 
     concessions to Sudan given these ongoing and serious 
     violations.
       Thank you.
                                  ____


             [From United to End Genocide, Sept. 22, 2011]

     Testimony of the Hon. Thomas H. Andrews--``Sudan: The Ongoing 
   Humanitarian Crisis in South Kordofan and Continuing Human Rights 
                          Violations in Darfur

       Thank you Chairman Wolf, Chairman McGovern and members of 
     the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for holding this 
     hearing. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to testify 
     before you today on the escalation of attacks against 
     civilians in Sudan. So many members of this Commission have 
     been long-time champions of peace and accountability in 
     Sudan. Your leadership on Sudan is critical.
       I was in the region a little over two months ago visiting 
     Rwanda, Kenya and South Sudan, and in Juba just weeks after 
     violence broke out in South Kordofan. Everywhere I went I 
     heard story after story of the horror that continues to be 
     inflicted. Two refugees from Darfur told me about their 
     harrowing experience of being awakened at dawn by the sound 
     of hooves and gunfire as the Janjaweed raided their village. 
     They fled to South Kordofan's Nuba Mountains and described 
     how the people there welcomed them. They expressed their 
     alarm and horror that the same regime that had forced them to 
     flee their homes in Darfur was now attacking the very people 
     who provided them refuge.
       The common denominator in the devastating attacks on 
     civilians in both Darfur and South Kordofan is Sudan's 
     President Omar al-Bashir. Let me be clear--Bashir is a 
     genocidal monster who is already wanted by the International 
     Criminal Court for directing atrocities in Darfur. Since 
     Bashir came to power in a military coup in 1989 he has 
     murdered, starved and destroyed the lives of millions of 
     innocent civilians in South Sudan, Abyei, Darfur, Blue Nile 
     and South Kordofan.
       I have provided additional details on the violence being 
     perpetrated across Sudan by Bashir's forces in my written 
     testimony. But my focus today is on what is happening now in 
     South Kordofan and the stories that were told to me by the 
     people I met.
       I spoke to several people displaced from South Kordofan's 
     Nuba Mountains when I was in Juba in early July. The numbers 
     of displaced have only increased since then. Two priests who 
     had just arrived after a narrow escape told me that the 
     Sudanese Armed Forces and allied militias had gone door to 
     door, targeting people based on their religion and the color 
     of their skin. They spoke of churches being burned and 
     looted. One church was hit by a bomb as Antanov planes, the 
     same used to terrorize the people of Darfur, launched 
     indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas. That was in July. 
     The attacks continue.
       But it doesn't stop there: Bashir has also refused to let 
     in desperately needed food, water, medicine and fuel. 
     International aid NGOs have been tossed out. One of the 
     displaced priests I met with had heard just that morning from 
     a colleague still in the Nuba Mountains that food stocks were 
     running low, trade routes were blocked, and no new aid was 
     being allowed in. He told me that at least one million 
     innocent people are at risk in South Kordofan.
       This year alone, more than half a million people have been 
     displaced by fighting throughout Sudan. United Nations 
     reports indicate the likelihood of ethnic cleansing in Abyei, 
     and war crimes and crimes against humanity in South Kordofan. 
     We suspect similar atrocities have occurred in Blue Nile.
       Recent violence directed by Bashir makes it very clear, 
     when left unchecked this genocidal monster will simply 
     continue to do what he has always done: commit unspeakable 
     atrocities.
       So what can the United States do? Past experience 
     demonstrates that the Bashir regime only responds to 
     consequences. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is 
     failing in the face of these ongoing atrocities. Recent 
     statements by the State Department do not place appropriate 
     emphasis on the Government of Sudan as the party 
     overwhelmingly responsible for violence against civilians. 
     Even more importantly, action from the Administration is 
     severely lacking. Accountability is not being demanded. 
     Civilians are not being protected. Bashir is being allowed to 
     commit atrocities with impunity. Again. Unless this policy 
     course is corrected, many more civilians will lose their 
     lives.
       In my view the Obama Administration needs to do three 
     things:
       First, expand sanctions on individuals responsible for 
     atrocities throughout Sudan. Current individual sanctions for 
     atrocities are specific only to Darfur. Anyone who commits 
     heinous crimes must be held accountable regardless of where 
     in Sudan these atrocities take place.
       Second, make saving lives in Sudan a high priority in our 
     dealings with other nations--particularly those that can 
     exert the most leverage on Bashir. We need increased and 
     coordinated sanctions by the international community starting 
     with our European allies. Maybe even more importantly, the 
     United States must work to move China in a new direction. The 
     Chinese have a great deal of leverage with the Government of 
     Sudan. Their significant monetary investment makes it in 
     their interest to have a peaceful and stable region. But 
     their actions belie their interest and denigrate values that 
     we have a moral obligation to defend and advance. The red 
     carpet that the Chinese government literally unfolded for 
     Bashir just months ago in Beijing was an outrage. We need to 
     hear that outrage spoken loudly and clearly by our leaders.
       Finally, weapons must be stopped from flowing into Sudan 
     and innocent people must be protected. The U.S. must spend 
     political capital to pass a United Nations Security Council 
     resolution that expands individual sanctions for 
     perpetrators, expands the existing arms embargo on Darfur to 
     incorporate all of Sudan, expands the mandate of the 
     International Criminal Court to cover the entire country, 
     demands unfettered humanitarian access, and authorizes an 
     international civilian protection force with the resources 
     and mandate to accomplish its mission.
       Congress also has an important role to play. First, the 
     American people need to know the truth about Omar al-Bashir 
     and his atrocities. This hearing is an important step in that 
     direction and, again, I commend you for your leadership. 
     American citizens have shown they care about the people of 
     Sudan, but many are unaware of what is happening there now. 
     Your help is needed to raise the alarm. Congress should also 
     consider and pass legislation that would mandate increased 
     United States sanctions and push the Administration to 
     advance the policies I've laid out here today.
       I know this is not as easy as it may sound. I know about 
     all the distractions that Members of Congress face. I was 
     serving in the House during the Rwandan genocide. I visited 
     the graves of hundreds of thousands of victims when I visited 
     Rwanda in July and asked myself--``Where was I?'' Why did we 
     do nothing to prevent or stop this horror?'' Well, in 
     retrospect, the political climate here in the U.S. was 
     intense in 1994. There were fresh memories of Mogadishu, 
     Somalia and ``Black Hawk Down''. There was the conflict in 
     the former Yugoslavia. The economy was struggling and a 
     heated election was looming. When you think about it, the 
     political climate today is not at all dissimilar. But, the 
     bottom line then is the bottom line now: We cannot stand 
     quietly aside while genocidal monsters inflict unspeakable 
     crimes against untold numbers of innocent people. The cost of 
     doing nothing is too great. We must not look back years from 
     now on this moment and think: ``If only we had done 
     something.''
       We must have the courage to act now.
       Thank you again for your time and for this opportunity. I 
     look forward to answering your questions.

[[Page E1721]]



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