What the U.S. Government is Doing to Assist Darfur…….
Thank you for contacting me about the urgent need to stop the genocide being perpetrated by the Sudanese government and its proxies against the people of Darfur. I appreciate the time you took to share your thoughts with me on this matter, since working to end the humanitarian catastrophe unfolding in Darfur is one of the most important challenges in the world today.
The world has neglected this humanitarian catastrophe for too long. Millions of innocent Sudanese are suffering and dying from civil war and famine in Sudan. After the horrific slaughter in Rwanda, we pledged we would never let it happen again. But it is happening again – in Darfur.
Simply condemning the genocide is not enough. More needs to be done, and can be done, to deliver aid to the displaced refugees, secure the region, and bring justice to those who are guilty of committing these heinous crimes. I believe the United States must do all it can, not only by passing legislation, but also by working in concert with its international partners to ensure that we provide adequate funding to support peacekeeping operations and vital humanitarian assistance.
On December 31, 2007, the United Nations (UN) and the African Union (AU) jointly assumed control of the peacekeeping mission in Darfur. This hybrid mission is a critical step that I have fought for in the Senate for some time. Unfortunately, to date, it has brought little relief. While the UN Security Council authorized over 26,000 peacekeepers to Darfur, only several hundred peacekeepers have been deployed to the region to augment the 7,000 AU peacekeepers already in place.
The international community has also failed to contribute key tactical elements of the force, including 24 helicopters that UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon has termed indispensable to the peacekeeping mission. Without these helicopters, the mission lacks the necessary mobility to patrol large areas of land, especially over terrain where roads are the exception.
That is why I have cosponsored S. Res. 432, which was introduced by Senators Joseph Biden (D-DE) and Richard Lugar (R-IN), and passed unanimously by the Senate in February 2008. This resolution calls on members of the international community, including the United States, to fill this critical gap in equipping the peacekeeping mission by providing the necessary utility and tactical aerial vehicles. This resolution also urges the President to personally contact other heads of state to ensure that this commitment is met.
I am also pleased that Congress included emergency supplemental funding in the omnibus fiscal year 2008 appropriations bill, which was signed into law by President Bush on December 26, 2007 (P.L. 110-161). Approximately $1 billion will be appropriated to Sudan in total, of which $209 million is for critical humanitarian and peacekeeping programs in Darfur and $550 million is to support the UN mission to Darfur. The Bush Administration also reported its intention to allocate $390 million in Contributions to International Peacekeeping (CIPA) funds for Darfur.
Unfortunately, the conflict in Darfur has also spilled beyond its borders, with the Sudanese government sponsoring internal rebellions against the neighboring governments of Chad and the Central African Republic. It has also resulted in the displacement of more than two million Sudanese civilians, generating a humanitarian refugee crisis throughout the region. Because of this regional dimension of the Darfur crisis, I recently joined with my colleagues in the Senate to cosponsor S.Res. 470, which calls on the relevant governments and responsible international stakeholders in Chad, the Central African Republic, and Sudan, to adopt a negotiated solution to these cross-border conflicts.
In this 110th Congress, I have cosponsored and supported numerous measures relating to Sudan. I cosponsored S.Res. 203, passed unanimously by the Senate in July 2007, which calls on the Government of the People’s Republic of China to use its unique influence and economic leverage to stop genocide and violence in Darfur. In March 2007, I cosponsored the Sudan Divestment Authorization Act (S. 831), which would authorize U.S. states and local governments to prohibit the investment of state assets in any company that has a qualifying business relationship with Sudan. To keep track of future actions on this legislation, you can go to the “Bill Tracking” service at http://lieberman.senate.gov/issues/resources.
I have long championed legislation encouraging an equitable peace in Sudan. For example, in 2004, I cosponsored bipartisan legislation that identified the brutal actions of the Janjaweed militia in Darfur as genocide; and I was pleased to see the Bush Administration follow the lead of the Congress in that designation shortly thereafter. To see a review of some of the other steps I have taken in recent years which relate to many of the concerns you mention in your letter, please visit my web site’s section highlighting Darfur at: http://lieberman.senate.gov/issues/security.cfm#foreign.
Thank you again for sharing your views and concerns with me. I hope you will continue to visit my web site at http://lieberman.senate.gov for updated news about my work on behalf of Connecticut and the nation. Please contact me if you have any additional questions or comments about our work in Congress.
Sincerely,
Joseph I. Lieberman
UNITED STATES SENATOR
Tags: Darfur, government, refugees, Senate, Senator, Sudan, UN, United States
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