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Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006

Date: April 5, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Foreign Affairs


DARFUR PEACE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - April 05, 2006)

Mr. HOYER. Mr. Speaker, the United Nations has identified the situation in Darfur, Sudan, as the worst current humanitarian and human rights statement of crisis in the world. And, the United States has labeled the killings in Darfur as genocide.

History is littered with examples of the international community recognizing the existence of genocide, while at the same time failing to put an end to the murder, rape and dislocation of innocent men, women and children.

Sadly, the case of Sudan is yet another sorry demonstration of the international community's collective lack of will to confront those would commit such horrific acts of cowardice.

The nations of the world must stop turning a blind eye to the suffering of innocents.

I am pleased that we are considering legislation to provide further assistance to the African Union Mission in Sudan, and to strengthen the arms embargo against the Janjaweed militia.

But we must not delude ourselves: the resolution before us today will not by itself solve the crisis or put an end to the suffering in Sudan.

As recognized in this legislation, the mission of the African Union peacekeepers must be expanded to allow them to intervene when acts of violence are being committed against innocent Sudanese.

How can we not have learned the lessons of Bosnia, Kosovo and Rwanda, where we watched in horror as troops in blue helmets stood by and witnessed the rape, murder and displacement of thousands?

The humanitarian crisis currently taking place in Sudan is among the most grave the world has seen in the past decade, and at its heart is the genocidal campaign being waged by the Khartoum government.

The most important, immediate step the world can take to stem the violence is to empower the forces already in place to actually protect the people of Darfur.

I urge my colleagues to support this legislation. And, I urge the U.S. Representatives at the United Nations to carry out their mission as directed in this bill to provide to African Union peacekeepers the authority to stop this genocide.

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