[Congressional Record Volume 163, Number 58 (Tuesday, April 4, 2017)]
[Senate]
[Pages S2368-S2369]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         SUBMITTED RESOLUTIONS

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     SENATE RESOLUTION 114--EXPRESSING THE SENSE OF THE SENATE ON 
    HUMANITARIAN CRISES IN NIGERIA, SOMALIA, SOUTH SUDAN, AND YEMEN

  Mr. YOUNG (for himself and Mr. Cardin) submitted the following 
resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 114

       Whereas Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen are all in 
     famine, pre-famine, or ``at risk of famine'' stages in 2017;
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Office for the 
     Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (UNOCHA), 20,000,000 
     people are at risk of starvation within the next six months 
     in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and Yemen;
       Whereas, on March 22, 2017, Mr. Yves Daccord, the Director-
     General of the International Committee of the Red Cross, 
     testified that the crisis represents ``one of the most 
     critical humanitarian issues to face mankind since the end of 
     the Second World War'' and warned that ``we are at the brink 
     of a humanitarian mega-crisis unprecedented in recent 
     history'';
       Whereas, according to the United States Agency for 
     International Development (USAID), ``More than 5.1 million 
     people face severe food insecurity in northeastern Nigeria'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 6.2 million 
     people--more than half of Somalia's total population--
     currently require urgent humanitarian assistance.'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, ``An estimated 5.5 million 
     people--nearly half of South Sudan's population--will face 
     life threatening hunger by July.'';
       Whereas, according to USAID, in Yemen, ``More than 
     seventeen million people--an astounding 60% of the country's 
     population--are food insecure, including seven million people 
     who are unable to survive without food assistance.'';
       Whereas, according to the United Nations Children's Fund 
     (UNICEF), ``Some 22 million children have been left hungry, 
     sick, displaced and out of school in the four countries. 
     Nearly 1.4 million are at imminent risk of death this year 
     from severe malnutrition.'';
       Whereas the humanitarian crises in each of these regions 
     are, to varying degrees, man-made and preventable--
     exacerbated by armed conflict, disregard for international 
     humanitarian law, and deliberate restrictions on humanitarian 
     access;
       Whereas parties to the conflicts have harassed, attacked, 
     and killed humanitarian workers, blocking and hindering 
     humanitarian access and depriving the world's most hungry 
     people of the food they need;
       Whereas humanitarian actors, coordinated by UNOCHA, are 
     appealing for $5,600,000,000 in 2017 to address famines in 
     Yemen, South Sudan, Nigeria, and Somalia, $4,400,000,000 of 
     which is required urgently; and
       Whereas Mr. Daccord testified on March 22, 2017, ``Our 
     message is clear: immediate, decisive action is needed to 
     prevent vast numbers of people starving to death.'': Now, 
     therefore, be it
       Resolved, That--
       (1) It is the sense of the Senate that--
       (A) United States national security interests and the 
     values of the American people demand that the United States 
     lead an urgent and comprehensive international diplomatic 
     effort to address obstacles in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, 
     and Yemen that are preventing humanitarian aid from being 
     delivered to millions of people who desperately need it;
       (B) the President should encourage other governments to 
     join the United States in providing the resources necessary 
     to meet the $5,600,000,000 UNOCHA appeal to address the 
     humanitarian crises in Nigeria, Somalia, South Sudan, and 
     Yemen;
       (C) parties to the conflicts in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen must respect fully international 
     humanitarian law by allowing and facilitating rapid and 
     unimpeded passage of humanitarian relief for civilians in 
     need and respecting and protecting humanitarian and medical 
     relief personnel and objects; and
       (D) the President, working with international partners, 
     should work to identify and document violations of 
     international humanitarian law in Nigeria, Somalia, South 
     Sudan, and Yemen seeking to bring perpetrators to justice 
     where possible; and
       (2) the Senate--
       (A) urges the President, in close coordination with 
     international partners, to employ every appropriate strategy 
     to persuade the Government of South Sudan to stop blocking 
     aid for people who desperately need it;
       (B) calls on the President to notify Congress without delay 
     if the Government of South Sudan does not immediately and 
     fully respect international humanitarian law so that Congress 
     can work with President to impose additional costs on the 
     government and leaders of South Sudan for their deplorable 
     actions;
       (C) urges the President to press the Government of Nigeria 
     to take tangible and immediate steps to ensure accountability 
     for security forces that violate human rights and fail to 
     cooperate fully with international aid efforts;
       (D) calls on the President to send the Secretary of State 
     or other high level representative to attend the upcoming 
     United Kingdom's Ministerial Conference on Somalia and 
     publicly announce a contribution to the

[[Page S2369]]

     humanitarian assistance efforts which will help leverage 
     other international donors; and
       (E) urges the President to work urgently with stakeholders 
     to persuade parties to conflict in Yemen to permit 
     humanitarian groups increased access to Red Sea ports like 
     Hodeida to deliver much-needed assistance to vulnerable 
     communities.

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