[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 52 (Thursday, March 29, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2280-S2282]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
PROMOTING PEACE AND STABILITY IN SUDAN
Mr. REID. Mr. President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate now
proceed to the immediate consideration of Calendar No. 350, S. Res.
397.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The clerk will report the resolution by title.
The assistant legislative clerk read as follows:
A resolution (S. Res. 397) promoting peace and stability in
Sudan, and for other purposes.
There being no objection, the Senate proceeded to consider the
resolution which had been reported by the Committee on Foreign
Relations with an amendment and an amendment to the preamble, as
follows:
[Strike all after the enacting clause and the preamble (the part in
boldface brackets) and insert the part printed in italic.]
S. Res. 397
[Whereas conflict between the Government of Sudan and the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM N) has been
ongoing since June 2011 in Sudan's border state of South
Kordofan and since September 2011 in the border state of Blue
Nile, resulting in a humanitarian crisis;
[Whereas the Government of Sudan has refused repeated
requests by the United States Government, the United Nations,
the African Union, the League of Arab States, nongovernmental
organizations, and others to allow humanitarian access to the
conflict areas;
[Whereas the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan signed a
memorandum of understanding on non-aggression and cooperation
in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012, agreeing to respect each
other's sovereignty and refrain from launching any attack
against the other, including bombardment;
[Whereas the United Nations estimates that more than
130,000 refugees have fled South Kordofan and Blue Nile for
South Sudan, Ethiopia, and elsewhere since June 2011, and
hundreds of thousands more have been internally displaced or
severely affected by conflict;
[Whereas the Government of Sudan bombed the Yida refugee
camp in South Sudan on November 10, 2011;
[Whereas both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North have reportedly prevented
civilians from leaving Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan;
[Whereas the Famine Early Warning Systems Network
(FEWSNET), funded by the United States Agency for
International Development, estimated in March 2012 that
conflict-affected areas of South Kordofan would deteriorate
further in coming weeks to Phase 4 emergency levels of food
insecurity (one step before being classified as a famine),
due mainly to conflict and government policies that have
limited cultivation, displaced the population, restricted
trade, and refused access for international humanitarian
assistance;
[Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a
statement on February 14, 2012, expressing deep and growing
alarm with the rising levels of malnutrition and food
insecurity in some areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile,
calling on the Government of Sudan to allow immediate access
to United Nations personnel, and urging the Government of
Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North to
agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and return to
talks to address the issues that have fueled the current
conflict;
[Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
appealed urgently to donors in February 2012 for $145,000,000
to assist refugees from South Kordofan and Blue Nile;
[Whereas President Barack Obama released a statement in
June 2011 calling on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to agree immediately to a
ceasefire, end restrictions on humanitarian access and United
Nations movements, and agree on security arrangements for
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States through direct, high-
level negotiations as opposed to the use of force;
[Whereas President Obama released a statement on February
2, 2012, strongly condemning the bombing by the Armed Forces
of Sudan of civilian populations in Southern Kordofan and
Blue Nile States in Sudan, which stated that aerial attacks
on civilian targets are unjustified, unacceptable, and a
violation of international law and compound the ongoing
crisis in these areas;
[Whereas neither South Kordofan nor Blue Nile were able to
complete the popular consultation process with the Government
of Sudan as stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace Agreement
(CPA) before violence broke out;
[Whereas, despite the independence of South Sudan on July
9, 2011, many key issues between Sudan and South Sudan remain
unresolved, including transit fees for oil pipeline use,
citizenship, the status of Abyei, and border demarcation;
[Whereas the goal of democratic governance reform in Sudan
as envisioned in the CPA has not been met;
[Whereas, in addition to the growing conflict-induced
humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan's southern
border states, the humanitarian crisis and ongoing insecurity
in Darfur continues; and
[Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
estimates that more than 4,000,000 people in Sudan remain
internally displaced, and in 2011, though for the first time
since the Darfur conflict began, more Darfuris voluntarily
returned to their homes (87,000) than were newly displaced
(70,000), and additional tens of thousands are being
displaced in southern Sudan:] Now, therefore, be it
Whereas conflict between the Government of Sudan and the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM N) has been
ongoing since June 2011 in Sudan's border state of Southern
Kordofan and since September 2011 in the border state of Blue
Nile, resulting in a humanitarian crisis;
Whereas the Government of Sudan has refused repeated
requests by the United States Government, the United Nations,
the African Union, the League of Arab States, nongovernmental
organizations, and others to allow humanitarian access to the
conflict areas;
Whereas the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan signed a
memorandum of understanding on non-aggression and cooperation
in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012, agreeing to respect each
other's sovereignty and refrain from launching any attack
against the other, including bombardment;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that more than 130,000
refugees have fled Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile for South
Sudan, Ethiopia, and elsewhere since June 2011, and hundreds
of thousands more have been internally displaced or severely
affected by conflict;
Whereas the Government of Sudan bombed the Yida refugee
camp in South Sudan on November 10, 2011;
Whereas both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North have reportedly prevented civilians
from leaving Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan;
Whereas the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET),
funded by the United States Agency for International
Development, estimated in March 2012 that conflict-affected
areas of Southern Kordofan would deteriorate further in
coming weeks to Phase 4 emergency levels of food insecurity
(one step before being classified as a famine), due mainly to
conflict and government policies that have limited
cultivation, displaced the population, restricted trade, and
refused access for international humanitarian assistance;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a
statement on February 14, 2012, expressing deep and growing
alarm with the rising levels of malnutrition and food
insecurity in some areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile,
calling on the Government of Sudan to allow immediate access
to United Nations personnel, and urging the Government of
Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North to
agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and return to
talks to address the issues that have fueled the current
conflict;
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
appealed urgently to donors in February 2012 for $145,000,000
to assist refugees from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile;
Whereas President Barack Obama released a statement in June
2011 calling on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to agree immediately to a
ceasefire, end restrictions on humanitarian access and United
Nations movements, and agree on security arrangements for
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States through direct, high-
level negotiations as opposed to the use of force;
Whereas President Obama released a statement on February 2,
2012, strongly condemning the bombing by the Armed Forces of
Sudan of civilian populations in Southern Kordofan and Blue
Nile States in Sudan, which stated that aerial attacks on
civilian targets are unjustified, unacceptable, and a
violation of international law and compound the ongoing
crisis in these areas;
Whereas neither Southern Kordofan nor Blue Nile were able
to complete the popular consultation process with the
Government of Sudan as stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA) before violence broke out;
Whereas, despite the independence of South Sudan on July 9,
2011, many key issues between Sudan and South Sudan remain
unresolved, including transit fees for oil pipeline use,
citizenship, the status of Abyei, and border demarcation;
Whereas the goal of democratic governance reform in Sudan
as envisioned in the CPA has not been met;
[[Page S2281]]
Whereas, in addition to the growing conflict-induced
humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan's southern
border states, the humanitarian crisis and ongoing insecurity
in Darfur continues; and
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
estimates that, although for the first time since the Darfur
conflict began, more Darfuris (87,000) voluntarily returned
to their homes than were newly displaced (70,000), tens of
thousands of additional people are still being displaced in
southern Sudan and more than 4,000,000 people in Sudan remain
internally displaced in total: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, [That the Senate--
[(1) welcomes the memorandum of understanding on non-
aggression and cooperation signed between the Governments of
Sudan and South Sudan in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012;
[(2) calls on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to reach a mutually
beneficial political agreement;
[(3) urges the Government of Sudan to allow immediate and
unrestricted humanitarian access to South Kordofan, Blue
Nile, and all other conflict-affected areas of Sudan;
[(4) encourages the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to declare a cessation of
hostilities to allow food and essential supplies to reach
affected civilians;
[(5) implores the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to
refrain from any support of proxy forces;
[(6) urges the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North to allow civilians to leave the two
states voluntarily and seek refuge in more secure areas; and
[(7) supports the current efforts of the Obama
Administration, working with partners in the international
community, to facilitate humanitarian access to affected
areas, to encourage all relevant parties to return to the
negotiation table to reach agreements associated with the
conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to mitigate
violence in the interim, and to allow full humanitarian
access.]
That the Senate--
(1) welcomes the memorandum of understanding on non-
aggression and cooperation signed between the Governments of
Sudan and South Sudan in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012;
(2) calls on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North to reach a mutually beneficial
political agreement;
(3) urges the Government of Sudan to allow immediate and
unrestricted humanitarian access to Southern Kordofan, Blue
Nile, and all other conflict-affected areas of Sudan;
(4) encourages the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to declare a cessation of
hostilities to allow food and essential supplies to reach
affected civilians;
(5) implores the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to
refrain from any support of proxy forces;
(6) urges the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North to allow civilians to leave
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile voluntarily and seek refuge
in more secure areas; and
(7) supports the current efforts of the Obama
Administration, working with partners in the international
community, to facilitate humanitarian access to affected
areas, to encourage all relevant parties to return to the
negotiation table to reach agreements associated with the
conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to mitigate
violence in the interim, and to allow full humanitarian
access.
Mr. REID. I ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
substitute be agreed to.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Is there objection?
Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee amendment in the nature of a substitute was agreed to.
Mr. REID. I ask the Senate now vote on adoption of the resolution, as
amended.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. The question is on agreeing to the resolution,
as amended.
The resolution (No. 397), as amended, was agreed to.
Mr. REID. I further ask unanimous consent that the committee-reported
amendment to the preamble be agreed to; the preamble, as amended, be
agreed to; the motions to reconsider be laid upon the table, with no
intervening action or debate; and any statements relating to the
resolution be printed in the Record.
The PRESIDING OFFICER. Without objection, it is so ordered.
The committee-reported amendment was agreed to.
The preamble, as amended, was agreed to.
The resolution, as amended, with its preamble, as amended, reads as
follows:
S. Res. 397
Whereas conflict between the Government of Sudan and the
Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North (SPLM N) has been
ongoing since June 2011 in Sudan's border state of Southern
Kordofan and since September 2011 in the border state of Blue
Nile, resulting in a humanitarian crisis;
Whereas the Government of Sudan has refused repeated
requests by the United States Government, the United Nations,
the African Union, the League of Arab States, nongovernmental
organizations, and others to allow humanitarian access to the
conflict areas;
Whereas the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan signed a
memorandum of understanding on non-aggression and cooperation
in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012, agreeing to respect each
other's sovereignty and refrain from launching any attack
against the other, including bombardment;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that more than 130,000
refugees have fled Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile for South
Sudan, Ethiopia, and elsewhere since June 2011, and hundreds
of thousands more have been internally displaced or severely
affected by conflict;
Whereas the Government of Sudan bombed the Yida refugee
camp in South Sudan on November 10, 2011;
Whereas both the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North have reportedly prevented civilians
from leaving Blue Nile and Southern Kordofan;
Whereas the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWSNET),
funded by the United States Agency for International
Development, estimated in March 2012 that conflict-affected
areas of Southern Kordofan would deteriorate further in
coming weeks to Phase 4 emergency levels of food insecurity
(one step before being classified as a famine), due mainly to
conflict and government policies that have limited
cultivation, displaced the population, restricted trade, and
refused access for international humanitarian assistance;
Whereas the United Nations Security Council issued a
statement on February 14, 2012, expressing deep and growing
alarm with the rising levels of malnutrition and food
insecurity in some areas of Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile,
calling on the Government of Sudan to allow immediate access
to United Nations personnel, and urging the Government of
Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement-North to
agree to an immediate cessation of hostilities and return to
talks to address the issues that have fueled the current
conflict;
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
appealed urgently to donors in February 2012 for $145,000,000
to assist refugees from Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile;
Whereas President Barack Obama released a statement in June
2011 calling on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to agree immediately to a
ceasefire, end restrictions on humanitarian access and United
Nations movements, and agree on security arrangements for
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile States through direct, high-
level negotiations as opposed to the use of force;
Whereas President Obama released a statement on February 2,
2012, strongly condemning the bombing by the Armed Forces of
Sudan of civilian populations in Southern Kordofan and Blue
Nile States in Sudan, which stated that aerial attacks on
civilian targets are unjustified, unacceptable, and a
violation of international law and compound the ongoing
crisis in these areas;
Whereas neither Southern Kordofan nor Blue Nile were able
to complete the popular consultation process with the
Government of Sudan as stipulated in the Comprehensive Peace
Agreement (CPA) before violence broke out;
Whereas, despite the independence of South Sudan on July 9,
2011, many key issues between Sudan and South Sudan remain
unresolved, including transit fees for oil pipeline use,
citizenship, the status of Abyei, and border demarcation;
Whereas the goal of democratic governance reform in Sudan
as envisioned in the CPA has not been met;
Whereas in addition to the growing conflict-induced
humanitarian and human rights crisis in Sudan's southern
border states, the humanitarian crisis and ongoing insecurity
in Darfur continues; and
Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees
estimates that, although for the first time since the Darfur
conflict began, more Darfuris (87,000) voluntarily returned
to their homes than were newly displaced (70,000), tens of
thousands of additional people are still being displaced in
southern Sudan and more than 4,000,000 people in Sudan remain
internally displaced in total: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved, That the Senate--
(1) welcomes the memorandum of understanding on non-
aggression and cooperation signed between the Governments of
Sudan and South Sudan in Addis Ababa on February 12, 2012;
(2) calls on the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North to reach a mutually beneficial
political agreement;
(3) urges the Government of Sudan to allow immediate and
unrestricted humanitarian access to Southern Kordofan, Blue
Nile, and all other conflict-affected areas of Sudan;
(4) encourages the Government of Sudan and the Sudan
People's Liberation Movement-North to declare a cessation of
hostilities to allow food and essential supplies to reach
affected civilians;
[[Page S2282]]
(5) implores the Governments of Sudan and South Sudan to
refrain from any support of proxy forces;
(6) urges the Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's
Liberation Movement-North to allow civilians to leave
Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile voluntarily and seek refuge
in more secure areas; and
(7) supports the current efforts of the Obama
Administration, working with partners in the international
community, to facilitate humanitarian access to affected
areas, to encourage all relevant parties to return to the
negotiation table to reach agreements associated with the
conclusion of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, to mitigate
violence in the interim, and to allow full humanitarian
access.
____________________