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Darfur Peace And Accountability Act Of 2006

Date: Sept. 25, 2006
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: National Security


DARFUR PEACE AND ACCOUNTABILITY ACT OF 2006 -- (House of Representatives - September 25, 2006)

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Ms. McCOLLUM of Minnesota. Madam Speaker, I am here to support H.R. 3127, but I have serious concerns that this legislation is too little too late for hundreds of thousands of innocent people who have died and continue to be in danger.

Secretary of State Colin Powell declared the murder in Sudan a genocide in September, 2004, 2 years ago. I voted on this legislation in subcommittee 15 months ago. And every day since then, the violence and the humanitarian crisis in Darfur have gotten worse. Passing this legislation today may make us all feel good, but it will not end the genocide or even slow down the killing.

Sudan is a rogue nation. Sudan is a state sponsor of terrorism. In the Darfur region, the Sudanese regime terrorizes its citizens; it trains, it funds, and it arms the Janjaweed militia that commits acts of terrorism and mass murder and the systematic rape of girls and women. More than 2,000 villages have been destroyed in Darfur. More than 2 million people have been driven from their homes, and thousands of lives are at risk of disease and ongoing terrorist attacks by the Khartoum regime and the Janjaweed militia. This is an evil regime perpetrating genocide.

Genocide is not a number of random incidents of violence. Genocide is the sum, the horrible outcome, of acts of terrorism perpetrated in a systematic manner against civilians; 400,000 innocent people have died.

When H.R. 3127 passed this House, it included language calling upon the Secretary of State to declare the Janjaweed militia a foreign terrorist organization. I thank Mr. Hyde, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Lantos for supporting it. This language, unfortunately, has been stripped from the bill. But let us today call upon Secretary of State Rice to immediately designate the Janjaweed militia a foreign terrorist organization. Those who murder Africans are terrorists. Those who murder Muslim Africans are terrorists, and they should be given the same terrorist designation as those who attack Americans and Israelis. The Janjaweed militia are terrorists, and they must be held accountable for their crimes against humanity.

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