Condemning the Attacks on African Union Peacekeepers in Haskanita, Darfur, Sudan, on September 29, 2007
Floor Speech
CONDEMNING ATTACKS ON AFRICAN UNION PEACEKEEPERS IN HASKANITA, DARFUR, SUDAN, ON SEPTEMBER 29, 2007 -- (House of Representatives - October 29, 2007)
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Mr. SMITH of New Jersey. Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H. Res. 740 which condemns the armed attack against African Union troops that took place on the remote south-eastern settlement of Haskanita, Darfur precisely one month ago. This horrific attack by rebel groups left seven Nigerian peacekeepers and three other peacekeepers from Mali, Senegal and Botswana dead. Seven others were wounded and 50 peacekeepers went missing. This is the worst attack against the AU mission since it was first deployed in July 2004.
And the suffering of those in the village did not end with this violent assault. The Armed Forces of Sudan (SAF) moved into the village on October 6, reportedly to ``secure'' the area and facilitate the evacuation of the AU peacekeepers. Three days later the village was burned to the ground and 15,000 people were displaced. Although there has been no official statement as to who is responsible for the destruction of the village, U.N. officials have quietly pointed the finger at the SAF.
Although diplomatic activity on Sudan has intensified in recent weeks, and talks on the Darfur conflict began in Libya on October 27th, there is little reason for optimism that a peaceful solution to the Darfur tragedy is anywhere in sight. Several of the rebel groups are refusing to participate in the Libya talks. The U.N. Special Envoy for Darfur, Jan Eliasson, and his African Union counterpart, Salim A. Salim, who are leading this negotiation effort, have a Herculean task ahead of them. They will need all the help that we can provide them, and it is critical that this Congress continue to highlight the tragedy of what is occurring in Darfur and seek every means to bring about a just and enduring peace.
I therefore thank my colleague Ms. Jackson-Lee for introducing this resolution, which also expresses the readiness of the House of Representatives to support efforts to bring those individuals responsible for the attacks to justice and to dismantle the networks that carry out such attacks. I strongly urge my colleagues in the House to support this resolution.
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