[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 7 Introduced in House (IH)]
110th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 7
Calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the
Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the
genocide in Darfur.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
January 4, 2007
Ms. Lee submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was
referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling on the League of Arab States to acknowledge the genocide in the
Darfur region of Sudan and to step up their efforts to stop the
genocide in Darfur.
Whereas in July 2004, the House of Representatives and Senate declared that the
atrocities in the Darfur region of Sudan constitute genocide, and the
Bush administration reached the same conclusion in September 2004, when
then Secretary of State Colin Powell stated that ``the evidence leads us
to the conclusion that genocide has occurred and may still be occurring
in Darfur'';
Whereas more than 400,000 people have been killed by the Government of Sudan and
its Janjaweed allies since the crisis began in 2003, more than 2,000,000
people have been displaced from their homes, and more than 250,000
people from Darfur remain in refugee camps in Chad;
Whereas the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, Jan
Egeland, in late August 2006 stated that ``[i]nsecurity is at its
highest level since 2004, access at its lowest levels since that date,
and we may well be on the brink of a return to all-out war'';
Whereas despite the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006, violence
against civilians, peacekeepers, and humanitarian workers continues
unabated, and an estimated 12 humanitarian workers have been killed in
Darfur, including a nurse in September 2006;
Whereas in August 2006, the Government of Sudan began to deploy thousands of
government troops for a major offensive in Darfur, once again
threatening a major humanitarian catastrophe and risking the safety and
security of millions of civilians;
Whereas, according to the Government of Sudan's plan, in a document submitted to
the United Nations Secretary-General, Kofi Annan, the Government of
Sudan plans to deploy approximately 26,500 additional troops and 7,050
additional police to Darfur;
Whereas the objectives of this deployment are ``to deal with the threats posed
by the activities of groups that have rejected the Darfur Peace
Agreement and to gain control over the security situation and achieve
stability in Darfur'';
Whereas on August 31, 2006, the United Nations Security Council passed
Resolution 1706, expanding the mandate of the United Nations Mission in
Sudan (UNMIS) for the additional deployment of 17,300 peacekeeping
troops and 3,300 civilian police personnel as well as 16 formed police
units to Darfur;
Whereas implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the
Government of Sudan and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) is
slow, raising serious concern about the commitment of the Government of
Sudan to fulfill its responsibilities;
Whereas President Omar Hassan El-Bashir of Sudan has rejected the deployment of
a United Nations peacekeeping force to Darfur, even as First Vice
President Salva Kiir has publicly stated his support for the deployment
of a United Nations peacekeeping mission to Darfur;
Whereas in March 2006, at the Khartoum summit, Arab leaders worked against a
plan to transform the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) into a
United Nations protection force with a mandate to protect civilians;
Whereas on August 20, 2006, in Cairo, Egypt, the League of Arab States met and
backed Sudan's refusal of a United Nations peacekeeping force in the
war-wracked Darfur region;
Whereas in September 2006, a resolution passed by the Arab League's Council of
Foreign Ministers called for the United Nations Security Council to give
the Sudanese Government more time to implement its ``plan to improve
conditions and preserve security'' in Darfur;
Whereas on September 20, 2006, the Security and Peace Council of the African
Union approved a decision to extend the mandate of AMIS in Darfur to the
end of 2006;
Whereas, although the United Nations is set to send peacekeeping forces to
Darfur under United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706 (2006), the
Arab League allegedly remains engaged in behind-the-scenes efforts to
obstruct the deployment of such forces or reduce their mandate;
Whereas the November 30, 2006, Abuja Communique of the Peace and Security
Council of the African Union states the following:
(1) The Special Representative shall be jointly appointed by the
Chairperson of the Commission of the African Union and the Secretary-
General of the United Nations, after appropriate consultations as per the
practice.
(2) The Force Commander, who should be an African, shall be appointed
by the Chairperson of the Commission in consultation with the Secretary-
General of the United Nations.
(3) The Mission shall benefit from United Nations backstopping and
command and control structures and systems.
(4) The size of the force shall be determined by the African Union and
the United Nations, taking into account all relevant factors and the
situation on the ground, as well as the requirements for it to effectively
discharge its mandate; and
Whereas the support of the Arab League to end the genocide in Darfur will be
critical: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) strongly urges the League of Arab States to declare the
systematic torture, rape, and displacement of Darfurians a
genocide;
(2) strongly urges the Arab League to agree and pass a
resolution at their next meeting to support and accept United
Nations peacekeepers as the best option to enforce the
ceasefire, protect civilians, ensure access to humanitarian
assistance in Darfur; and
(3) strongly urges the Arab League to work with the United
Nations, the African Union and the United States Presidential
Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, to bring about real
and lasting peace and stability to Darfur, the refugee camps,
and along the Chadian border.
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