Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act of 2004

COMPREHENSIVE PEACE IN SUDAN ACT OF 2004 -- (House of Representatives - November 19, 2004)

Mr. TANCREDO. Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the Senate bill (S. 2781) to express the sense of Congress regarding the conflict in Darfur, Sudan, to provide assistance for the crisis in Darfur and for comprehensive peace in Sudan, and for other purposes, as amended.

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Mr. MEEKS. Mr. Speaker, I would first like to commend my colleagues, DONALD PAYNE and TOM TANCREDO for working with the Senate to draft a bill that will hopefully be the beginning of the end of genocide in the Sudan.

Since February 2003, Sudanese government troops and their allied militia, the Janjaweed, have raped, tortured, maimed, and burned entire villages to cleanse the Darfur areas of African Muslims.

Seventy thousand have died. Over 200,000 have fled across the border into Chad and 1.6 million have been forced from their homes and into camps, where they remain vulnerable to attacks and lack basic services.

While the Sudanese government has done little to protect its people, the African Union has shown tremendous leadership in trying to stop the atrocities.

The African Union has led peace talks since August and sent hundreds of monitors and security forces to assist in stopping the atrocities.

It is my hope that the bulk of the assistance included in this bill will go to ensure that the African Union is successful in its mission to finally end the genocide in Darfur!

Additionally, we must continue to insist that the Sudanese government cease support for and disarm the Janjaweed militias by immediately utilizing sanctions against the government officials responsible for stopping the atrocities.

Darfur has waited long enough. We must act now.

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