[Congressional Bills 108th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Con. Res. 99 Engrossed in Senate (ES)]
2d Session
S. CON. RES. 99
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CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas, since early 2003, a conflict between forces of the Government of the
Republic of the Sudan, including militia forces backed by the
Government, and rebel forces in the impoverished Darfur region of
western Sudan has resulted in attacks by ground and air forces of the
Government of Sudan against innocent civilians and undefended villages
in the region;
Whereas, the militia forces backed by the Government of Sudan have also engaged
in the use of rape as a weapon of war, the abduction of children, the
destruction of food and water sources, and the deliberate and systematic
manipulation and denial of humanitarian assistance for the people of the
Darfur region;
Whereas, on December 18, 2003, United Nations Undersecretary General for
Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland declared that the Darfur region was
probably ``the world's worst humanitarian catastrophe'', and in April
2004 reported to the United Nations Security Council that in Darfur, ``a
sequence of deliberate actions has been observed that seem aimed at
achieving a specific objective: the forcible and long-term displacement
of the targeted communities which may also be termed `ethnic
cleansing''';
Whereas, on February 17, 2004, Amnesty International reported that it
``continues to receive details of horrifying attacks against civilians
in villages by government warplanes, soldiers, and pro-government
militia'';
Whereas, on February 18, 2004, United Nations Special Envoy for Humanitarian
Affairs in Sudan Tom Eric Vraalsen declared, following a trip to the
Darfur region, that ``aid workers are unable to reach the vast majority
[of the displaced]'';
Whereas, Doctors Without Borders, the Nobel Peace Prize-winning medical
humanitarian relief organization and one of the few aid groups on the
ground in the Darfur region, reported that the region is the scene of
``catastrophic mortality rates'';
Whereas, on April 20, the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for
Human Rights delayed the release of a report citing gross human rights
abuses, crimes against humanity, and war crimes committed in Darfur in a
bid to gain access to Sudan for investigators;
Whereas, the Government of Sudan continues to deny humanitarian assistance for
the people of the Darfur region by denying them unrestricted access to
humanitarian aid organizations;
Whereas, attacks on civilians in Darfur continue despite an April 8, 2004,
temporary cease-fire agreement; and
Whereas, nearly 3,000,000 people affected by the conflict in the Darfur region
have remained beyond the reach of aid agencies trying to provide
essential humanitarian assistance, and United Nations aid agencies
estimate that they have been able to reach only 15 percent of people in
need and that more than 700,000 people have been displaced within Sudan
in the past year: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the Senate (the House of Representatives concurring),
That Congress--
(1) strongly condemns the Government of the Republic of the
Sudan and militia groups supported by the Government of Sudan
for attacks against innocent civilians in the impoverished
Darfur region of western Sudan, in violation of Article 3 of
the Geneva Conventions, done at Geneva August 12, 1949, and
entered into force October 21, 1950, which specifically
prohibit attacks on civilians, and demands that the Government
of Sudan immediately take actions to cease these attacks;
(2) calls on the Government of Sudan to grant full,
unconditional, and immediate access to Darfur to humanitarian
aid organizations, the human rights investigation and
humanitarian teams of the United Nations, and an international
monitoring team in compliance with the temporary cease-fire
agreement that is based in Darfur and has the support of the
United States and the European Union;
(3) encourages the Administrator of the United States
Agency for International Development to work with donors to
develop a plan to pre-position and deliver humanitarian
assistance to Darfur, including a plan for delivery of food by
air if necessary;
(4) calls on the Secretary of State to develop a plan for
further bilateral and multilateral action in the event the
Government of Sudan fails to immediately undertake the actions
called for in paragraph (2), including a plan to seek a
Security Council resolution addressing the Darfur situation;
(5) deplores the inaction of some member states of the
United Nations and the failure of the United Nations Human
Rights Commission to take strong action with respect to the
crisis in Darfur; and
(6) urges the President to direct the United States
Representative to the United Nations to--
(A) seek an official investigation by the United
Nations to determine if crimes against humanity have
been committed by the Government of Sudan in the Darfur
region; and
(B) work with the international community to ensure
that the individuals responsible for crimes against
humanity in Darfur are accountable for their actions.
Passed the Senate May 6, 2004.
Attest:
Secretary.
108th CONGRESS
2d Session
S. CON. RES. 99
_______________________________________________________________________
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Condemning the Government of the Republic of the Sudan for its
participation and complicity in the attacks against innocent civilians
in the impoverished Darfur region of western Sudan.