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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)

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Ms. WATERS. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from California. I would like to commend the bipartisan effort of the International Relations Committee, and thank you for the work that you have done on this most important issue.

I was just part of a bipartisan delegation led by minority leader Nancy Pelosi to the Sudan. Genocide is taking place as we stand here today. We met with Vice President Taha. He was unapologetic, he was arrogant and he was uncompromising on their position in Darfur. They don't like the use of the word ``genocide,'' but he admitted that they had funded the Janjaweed because they retaliated against the rebels of the south who were resisting the Sudanese government.

We are on the right track. This Congress has been good in helping to identify that, number one, genocide is indeed taking place. Over 200,000 people have died.

We watched what happened in Rwanda. We have noted over and over again the atrocities of the Holocaust. Yet we can't seem to get the U.N. and others to move fast enough to stop this genocide that is taking place in Darfur.

I support this resolution today, this Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006 today, because this will impose sanctions on the government of Sudan and it will block the assets of and restrict travel for individuals who are responsible for acts of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity in the Darfur region of Sudan. It is long past due. We should be tough about it. The sanctions movement is growing. We need to squeeze them. We need to make sure that we have the kinds of actions that will be felt.

I was up in the camps. As far as the eyes can see, millions of displaced persons who have been driven from their homes, driven from their camps, living literally on the ground with little tarps just covering them. It is unconscionable that this should continue.

Again, I thank the International Relations Committee.

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