[Congressional Bills 110th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H. Con. Res. 7 Referred in Senate (RFS)]
1st Session
H. CON. RES. 7
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
April 26, 2007
Received and referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Calling on the League of Arab States and each Member State individually
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 the 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 estimates indicate that 400,000 people may 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 former 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, including the killing of an estimated 12 humanitarian workers
and 16 African Union Mission in Sudan peacekeepers;
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 planned to deploy approximately 26,500 additional troops and 7,050
additional police to Darfur;
Whereas the objectives of this deployment were ``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 rejected the deployment of a
United Nations peacekeeping force to Darfur, even as First Vice
President Salva Kiir 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 League of Arab States
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 November 30, 2006, the Peace and Security Council of the African
Union approved a decision to extend the mandate of AMIS in Darfur
through July 2007;
Whereas, although the United Nations was authorized and prepared to send
peacekeeping forces to Darfur under United Nations Security Council
Resolution 1706 (2006), the League of Arab States worked to obstruct the
deployment of such forces or had sought to reduce their mandate;
Whereas the November 30, 2006, Abuja Communique of the Peace and Security
Council of the African Union endorsed the deployment of a hybrid United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping force and stated 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.
Whereas in March 2007, ongoing negotiations between the United Nations
Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, and President Omar Hassan El-Bashir of
Sudan took place under the auspices of the League of Arab States Summit
in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and with the encouragement of Saudi Arabia,
Egypt and the Secretary General of the League of Arab States;
Whereas on April 16, 2007, Sudanese Foreign Minister Lam Akol announced that
Sudan fully accepts a ``heavy support'' package from the United Nations,
including significant additional logistical and military support, which
represents the second phase of a three-step plan to create a hybrid
United Nations-African Union peacekeeping force of approximately 17,000
troops and 3,000 police; and
Whereas the support of the League of Arab States and each Member State
individually will be critical to end the genocide in Darfur: Now,
therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate concurring),
That Congress--
(1) strongly urges the League of Arab States and each
Member State individually to declare the systematic torture,
rape, and displacement of Darfurians a genocide;
(2) strongly urges the League of Arab States and each
Member State individually to agree and pass a resolution at
their next meeting to support and accept a robust hybrid United
Nations-African Union peacekeeping force, as agreed to by all
parties to the Abuja Communique on November 30, 2006, to
enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, and ensure access to
humanitarian assistance in Darfur; and
(3) strongly urges the League of Arab States to continue 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 in Darfur, the
refugee camps, and along the Chadian border.
Passed the House of Representatives April 25, 2007.
Attest:
LORRAINE C. MILLER,
Clerk.