Former Secretaries Powell and Albright (two of the five former secretaries that signed the letter)

In a letter organized by the U.S. Global Leadership Coalition, five former Secretaries of State called on Congress to support the International Affairs Budget. As it stands now, international affairs funding is at risk for deep and disproportionate cuts.

Signed by Secretaries Henry Kissinger (1973-1977), George Shultz (1982-1989), Madeleine Albright (1997-2001), Colin Powell (2001-2005) and Condoleezza Rice (2005-2009), the letter underscores the important role that international diplomacy and development play in advancing the interests of the United States.

As the letter states, “[international affairs] programs are critical to America’s global leadership and represent strategic investments in our nation’s security and prosperity.”

Read the entire letter and take action to help protect the International Affairs Budget.

Watch the Senate Foreign Relations Committee discuss US Policy in Syria live on C-SPAN on Wednesday, November 9th at 2:30PM. Photo from aoc.gov.

Despite reaching a deal with the League of Arab States that provided conditions meant to protect civilians, Assad’s violence against his own people continues unabated. The Arab League deal required that the Syrian government remove all military installations from city streets, which the government blatantly violated on Monday when it launched a military offensive to retake the city of Homs. According to the Syrian opposition government security forces have killed 111 in Homs in the past five days alone. The violent crackdowns by the Assad regime have elicited a multitude of responses by the international community, some helpful, some counterproductive.

International efforts to end the crisis have achieved mixed results and are ongoing. Sanctions passed by the European Union and the United States banning Syrian oil have been particularly effective, causing a backlog of crude oil in storage facilities as Syria struggles to find buyers outside of Europe. Before the sanctions Europe purchased about 95 percent of Syria’s crude oil, and the embargo has had far-reaching effects on Syria’s economy including prompting international banks to refuse to open letters of credit with Syrian businesses.

An effort by the US, Britain, and France to pass a UN Security Council resolution, however, was blocked by the vetoes of Russia and China even after the language of the resolution had been watered down. China and Russia said the resolution failed to ensure the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Syria and so vetoed the measure. Russia and China are close allies of Assad’s regime and it is well known that Russia conducts a lucrative trade in weapons to Syria.  The US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice walked out of the UN Security Council chamber in protest, and called the vetoes, “a cheap ruse by those who would rather sell arms to the Syrian regime than stand with the Syrian people.”

NATO, which recently ended Operation Unified Protector in Libya following the successful toppling of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime, has clearly indicated that a similar no-fly zone mission in Syria is not being considered, at least for now.  In a forum at the Atlantic Council, a Washington-based think-tank, US Ambassador to NATO Ivo Daalder said that a NATO intervention in Syria was not being discussed and emphasized that a formula had been adopted by which interventions are considered that requires demonstrable need, regional support, and a “sound” legal basis.  The recent veto of the watered-down sanctions resolution by China and Russia suggests that NATO is not likely to receive legal authorization for action as they did in Libya when the UN Security Council passed a resolution establishing a no-fly zone.

Further actions against Assad’s regime are being undertaken on the American domestic stage in the US Senate, where Senator Kirsten Gillibrand has sponsored S. 1472, the Syria Sanctions Act of 2011. The bill seeks to impose sanctions on the development, production, exportation, importation, and financing of Syria’s oil industry.  The bill contains a set of penalties that could be leveraged against foreign companies investing in Syria’s oil sector including the freezing of their property and other assets in the United States. The bill currently has 12 cosponsors. You can help protect Syrian civilians by demanding tougher sanctions on Syria. Call 1-800-GENOCIDE to voice your support for the Syria Sanctions Act of 2011. The call is toll-free. When prompted, enter your zip code and choose option number two to be connected with the office of one of your two United States Senators. Once connected to the office, urge your Senator to co-sponsor and support the Syria Sanctions Act (S.1472).

Want to do learn more about what the US is doing for Syria? Watch the Senate Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia discuss US policy in Syria live on C-SPAN on Wednesday, November 09, 2011 at 2:30PM or attend in person at 419 Dirksen Senate Office Building, Constitution Avenue and 1st Street, NE, Washington, DC 20002.

Director of Policy & Government Relations at UEG, listens to Chairman Frank R. Wolf (R-VA) speak, after briefing the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission on the violent crises in South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

Director of Policy and Government Relations for United to End Genocide, Daniel Sullivan, testified yesterday in a hearing before Members of Congress on the increasingly dire situation in Sudan.  The hearing titled “First Hand Accounts of Violence and IDP/Refugee Problem in South Sudan’s Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile regions”, was held by the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission and included testimony by independent journalist, Ryan Boyette, and Director of Communications for the Enough Project Jonathan Hutson, who spoke on the work the Satellite Sentinel Project is doing in Sudan.

Mr. Sullivan discussed conversations he had with Sudanese displaced by fighting in South Kordofan and testified on the looming food crisis in South Kodofan and Blue Nile. Denial of access to humanitarian aid organizations combined with a failed harvest due to combat and government bombings will put over one million people at risk of famine in the next two to three months.  Mr. Sullivan laid out steps that the US government can take to stop the attacks in Sudan and emphasized that the time to act to avert a major famine is now.

Representative Frank Wolf, Chairman of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, addresses the audience at the hearing about the role Congress can take in ending the conflicts in Sudan.

Mr. Sullivan also spoke about the President of Sudan’s trip to Malawi yesterday.  President Omer El-Bashir is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for charges of genocide, and should have been arrested by Malawi’s government, which is a signatory of the Rome Statute and therefore obligated to uphold ICC rulings. He asked that Congress take further action to pressure countries to uphold their commitments to the International Criminal Court.

Chairmen Frank Wolf and Jim McGovern hosted the hearing and reiterated their continued commitment to making civilian protection in Sudan a political priority in US foreign policy.

You can read the rest of his testimony before the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission below:

_________________________________________________________________________

Daniel P. Sullivan

United to End Genocide, Director of Policy and Government Relations

Briefing for Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission

“First-hand Accounts of Violence and Growing IDP/Refugee Problem in Sudan’s Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile regions”

October 13, 2011

Thank you Chairman Wolf and members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for holding this briefing and for everyone here for their interest. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to speak to you today on the escalation of violence in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. So many members of this Commission have been long-time champions of justice, accountability and peace in Sudan. Your leadership has been and continues to be critical.

I am here on behalf of United to End Genocide the merged entity that was previously the Save Darfur Coalition and the Genocide Intervention Network. I was in Sudan a couple of months prior to South Sudan’s official independence and again with United to End Genocide’s President Tom Andrew’s for South Sudan’s independence. Sadly, the warning signs in Abyei, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile were clear even months before independence. The popular consultations stipulated by the Comprehensive Peace Agreement between the North and South of Sudan were delayed and have not taken place. Several months before Southern independence in July, I met with Yasir Arman, head of the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) and with Malik Agar, the now deposed governor of Blue Nile. Both warned even then about Bashir’s designs for the three areas (Abyei, Blue Nile, and South Kordofan).

When I returned to Sudan in July the worst fears had already come true. Bashir’s Sudanese Armed Forces and allied militias displaced 110,000 people from Abyei and began attacks in South Kordofan which have now spread to Blue Nile. While in Juba, Tom Andrews and I met with several people displaced from the Nuba Mountains in South Kordofan.

A pair of priests from Kadugli told about house to house searches and targeting of people based on their political affiliation with the SPLM-N as well as religion and ethnicity.

One man told me how a church had been looted and turned into a base of military operations. Other churches were burned and looted. One church was struck by a bomb.

A  one-time member of the Sudanese Air Force explained how Khartoum was using Antanov aircraft to roll out bombs indiscriminately over civilian areas in violation of international law and to devastating effect on the civilian population of South Kordofan.

A woman who works for a local humanitarian organization told about desperate efforts to secure remaining World Food Program food stores as international groups were kicked out and denied further access. The fighting further prevented the planting of crops meaning that food scarcity would be even greater.  At that time she estimated that as many as a million people could be affected by food shortage. More recently, I have heard from international humanitarian groups that a million is a conservative estimate. With fighting and displacement spread to Blue Nile and the harvesting season arriving with little planted food, the next couple months will be particularly dire.

The access has been minimal but the evidence actually quite abundant. The UN released a report of abuses taking place in June. Human Rights Watch and Amnesty International released a report last month based on visits to bombed sites. Mr. Boyette has provided new fresh evidence. And next week Pax Christi and Julie Flint who was recently in South Kordofan will release a report which will show that the crimes of the Bashir regime continue.

Omar al-Bashir, the man responsible for genocide in Darfur, is the common link to this suffering. It is essential that he be stopped and held accountable for his crimes. Just yesterday United to End Genocide launched a campaign to urge Secretary Clinton and the U.S. government to stop talk of normalizing relations with Bashir, the war criminal, and to take tougher measures to protect civilians and end the crimes that continue to take place in Sudan. Today came the disturbing news that Malawi, a signatory to the International Criminal Court, will allow Bashir to visit. It will join Chad, Kenya, and Djibouti as ICC signatories that have allowed Bashir to visit without arrest. Bashir has also visited non-ICC members including Eritrea, Egypt, Libya, Iran, and China. Such a visit must be condemned.

What can be done? United to End Genocide’s president Tom Andrews when testifying before this Commission a couple of weeks ago laid out some steps that can be taken. I will repeat them briefly now and encourage everyone to pick up his testimony which is available in the back.

First, expand sanctions on individuals responsible for atrocities throughout Sudan. Current individual sanctions of atrocities are specific to Darfur. Anyone who commits heinous crimes must be held accountable regardless of where in Sudan these atrocities take place.

Second, make saving lives in Sudan a high priority in our dealings with other nations – particularly those who can exert the most leverage on Bashir and his regime. We need coordinated sanctions by the international community starting with our European allies. Maybe even more importantly, the United States must work to move China in a new direction. The Chinese have a great deal of leverage with the Government of Sudan. Their significant monetary investment makes it in their interest to have a peaceful and stable Sudan. But their actions belie their interest and denigrate values that we have a moral obligation to defend and advance. The red carpet that the Chinese government literally unfolded for Bashir just months ago in Beijing was an outrage. We need to hear that outrage spoken loudly and clearly by President Obama and other world leaders. And while China and Russia are the obvious and sadly expected roadblocks to multilateral action, countries like Brazil, India, and South Africa have also stood in the way. It is important for the United States to clearly express to these countries that saving lives in Sudan is a high priority.

Third, leverage with individual countries must be used to catalyze action in the United Nations Security Council. Even simple condemnation has been difficult to achieve, let alone steps that can truly protect civilians. That must change. Efforts should be made to pass a United Nations Security Council resolution that expands individual sanctions for perpetrators, expands the existing arms embargo on Darfur to all of Sudan, expands the mandate of the International Criminal Court to cover the entire country, demands unfettered humanitarian access, and authorizes an international civilian protection force with the mandate and capacity to protect civilians.

Congress also has an important role to play. First, the American people need to know the truth about Omar al Bashir and the atrocities he continues to commit. The attention brought by this Commission and the African Sub-Committee is an important step in that direction and, again, I commend you for your leadership. The American people have shown in their response to Darfur that they care about the people of Sudan, but many are unaware of what is happening right now. Very little information is coming out of places like South Kordofan. Your help is needed to raise the alarm. Congress should consider legislation that would mandate increased United States sanctions and push the Administration to advance the policies I’ve laid out here today.

I’d like to end with a final recognition of just how dire the situation is in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Food aid continues to be blocked. The end to the rainy season means likely increased ground attacks. And the harvest season without crops will only exacerbate the dire humanitarian conditions. Time is running short and action must be taken. Thank you.

On Tuesday, October 4^th 2011, US Special Envoy to Sudan Princeton Lyman testified before the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights in a hearing titled “A Comprehensive Assessment of US Policy Toward Sudan”. Ambassador Lyman was joined by John Prendergast of the Enough Project, emancipated slave Ker Aleu Deng, Dr. Gerard Prunier of the Atlantic Council, and Ellen Ratner of Talk Radio News Service in testifying on the ongoing violent conflicts in Sudan.

Ambassador Lyman expressed concern over Sudan’s unwillingness to abide by the June agreement with South Sudan over troop withdrawal from the contested Abyei region. The June agreement established a September 30^th deadline by which both Sudan and South Sudan had to withdraw their occupying troops and the UN Interim Security Force for Abyei (UNISFA) would deploy to protect civilians. Sudan has missed the deadline and is now refusing to withdraw its forces until UNISFA is fully deployed, a condition that was not part of the agreement. Ambassador Lyman denounced this statement, saying that the agreed upon withdrawal did not have such conditions, and that UNIFSA is already fully deployed and capable of protecting the civilians of Abyei.

Click here to view the embedded video.

(Watch Ambassador Lyman’s full congressional testimony)

The Special Envoy recommended that the United States put pressure on South Sudan to stop supporting the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North (SPLM-N) rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, saying it is prolonging the conflicts in these areas and carries the risk of sparking a war with the North.

Lyman also stated that the US must push to reestablish peace negotiations that will effectively resolve the issues of the border states of Blue Nile and South Kordofan that were not addressed in the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement.

The Ambassador also recommended against military solutions to the conflict including the possibility of a no-fly zone by the US and its allies. He argued that a no-fly zone would not be able to counter the considerable artillery capabilities of Sudanese Armed Forces leaving civilians at risk of ground attacks. He said rebel groups opposed to the Sudanese government must be encouraged to look for non-military solutions and create political platforms.

The other members of the panel also asked that Congress lead the charge in the government taking more direct and concerted action with international partners to end human rights abuses in Sudan.

This was the second such hearing before members of the House of Representatives on the violent conflicts in Sudan in last three weeks.  In the first hearing on September 22^nd, Tom Andrews, President of United to End Genocide, presented policy recommendations for ending the conflicts in Sudan by using targeted sanctions on individual perpetrators, exerting pressure on Sudan’s allies to make civilian protection a priority, and establishing an arms embargo that covers all of Sudan. You can read his congressional testimony on our blog.

Testimony of the Hon. Thomas H. Andrews
President of United to End Genocide
Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission
“Sudan: The Ongoing Humanitarian Crisis in South Kordofan and Continuing Human Rights Violations in Darfur”
September 22, 2011

Thank you Chairman Wolf, Chairman McGovern and members of the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission for holding this hearing. I greatly appreciate the opportunity to testify before you today on the escalation of attacks against civilians in Sudan. So many members of this Commission have been long-time champions of peace and accountability in Sudan. Your leadership on Sudan is critical.

I was in the region a little over two months ago visiting Rwanda, Kenya and South Sudan, and in Juba just weeks after violence broke out in South Kordofan. Everywhere I went I heard story after story of the horror that continues to be inflicted. Two refugees from Darfur told me about their harrowing experience of being awakened at dawn by the sound of hooves and gunfire as the Janjaweed raided their village. They fled to South Kordofan’s Nuba Mountains and described how the people there welcomed them. They expressed their alarm and horror that the same regime that had forced them to flee their homes in Darfur was now attacking the very people who provided them refuge.

The common denominator in the devastating attacks on civilians in both Darfur and South Kordofan is Sudan’s President Omar al-Bashir. Let me be clear – Bashir is a genocidal monster who is already wanted by the International Criminal Court for directing atrocities in Darfur. Since Bashir came to power in a military coup in 1989 he has murdered, starved and destroyed the lives of millions of innocent civilians in South Sudan, Abyei, Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan.

I have provided additional details on the violence being perpetrated across Sudan by Bashir’s forces in my written testimony. But my focus today is on what is happening now in South Kordofan and the stories that were told to me by the people I met.

I spoke to several people displaced from South Kordofan’s Nuba Mountains when I was in Juba in early July. The numbers of displaced have only increased since then. Two priests who had just arrived after a narrow escape told me that the Sudanese Armed Forces and allied militias had gone door to door, targeting people based on their religion and the color of their skin. They spoke of churches being burned and looted. One church was hit by a bomb as Antanov planes, the same used to terrorize the people of Darfur, launched indiscriminate attacks on civilian areas. That was in July. The attacks continue.

But it doesn’t stop there: Bashir has also refused to let in desperately needed food, water, medicine and fuel. International aid NGOs have been tossed out. One of the displaced priests I met with had heard just that morning from a colleague still in the Nuba Mountains that food stocks were running low, trade routes were blocked, and no new aid was being allowed in. He told me that at least one million innocent people are at risk in South Kordofan.

This year alone, more than half a million people have been displaced by fighting throughout Sudan. United Nations reports indicate the likelihood of ethnic cleansing in Abyei, and war crimes and crimes against humanity in South Kordofan. We suspect similar atrocities have occurred in Blue Nile.

Recent violence directed by Bashir makes it very clear, when left unchecked this genocidal monster will simply continue to do what he has always done: commit unspeakable atrocities.

So what can the United States do? Past experience demonstrates that the Bashir regime only responds to consequences. Unfortunately, the Obama Administration is failing in the face of these ongoing atrocities. Recent statements by the State Department do not place appropriate emphasis on the Government of Sudan as the party overwhelmingly responsible for violence against civilians. Even more importantly, action from the Administration is severely lacking. Accountability is not being demanded. Civilians are not being protected. Bashir is being allowed to commit atrocities with impunity. Again. Unless this policy course is corrected, many more civilians will lose their lives.

In my view the Obama Administration needs to do three things:

First, expand sanctions on individuals responsible for atrocities throughout Sudan. Current individual sanctions for atrocities are specific only to Darfur. Anyone who commits heinous crimes must be held accountable regardless of where in Sudan these atrocities take place.

Second, make saving lives in Sudan a high priority in our dealings with other nations – particularly those that can exert the most leverage on Bashir. We need increased and coordinated sanctions by the international community starting with our European allies. Maybe even more importantly, the United States must work to move China in a new direction. The Chinese have a great deal of leverage with the Government of Sudan. Their significant monetary investment makes it in their interest to have a peaceful and stable region. But their actions belie their interest and denigrate values that we have a moral obligation to defend and advance. The red carpet that the Chinese government literally unfolded for Bashir just months ago in Beijing was an outrage. We need to hear that outrage spoken loudly and clearly by our leaders.

Finally, weapons must be stopped from flowing into Sudan and innocent people must be protected. The U.S. must spend political capital to pass a United Nations Security Council resolution that expands individual sanctions for perpetrators, expands the existing arms embargo on Darfur to incorporate all of Sudan, expands the mandate of the International Criminal Court to cover the entire country, demands unfettered humanitarian access, and authorizes an international civilian protection force with the resources and mandate to accomplish its mission.

Congress also has an important role to play. First, the American people need to know the truth about Omar al-Bashir and his atrocities. This hearing is an important step in that direction and, again, I commend you for your leadership. American citizens have shown they care about the people of Sudan, but many are unaware of what is happening there now. Your help is needed to raise the alarm. Congress should also consider and pass legislation that would mandate increased United States sanctions and push the Administration to advance the policies I’ve laid out here today.

I know this is not as easy as it may sound. I know about all the distractions that Members of Congress face. I was serving in the House during the Rwandan genocide. I visited the graves of hundreds of thousands of victims when I visited Rwanda in July and asked myself – “Where was I?” Why did we do nothing to prevent or stop this horror?” Well, in retrospect, the political climate here in the U.S. was intense in 1994. There were fresh memories of Mogadishu, Somalia and “Black Hawk Down”. There was the conflict in the former Yugoslavia. The economy was struggling and a heated election was looming. When you think about it, the political climate today is not at all dissimilar. But, the bottom line then is the bottom line now: We cannot stand quietly aside while genocidal monsters inflict unspeakable crimes against untold numbers of innocent people. The cost of doing nothing is too great. We must not look back years from now on this moment and think: “If only we had done something.”

We must have the courage to act now.

Thank you again for your time and for this opportunity. I look forward to answering your questions.

Syria Sanctions Act of 2011

The Syria Sanctions Act (S.1472), introduced by Senator Kirsten Gillibrand along with Senators Mark Kirk and Joe Lieberman, would impose restrictions related to the development, production, exportation, importation, and financing of Syria’s petroleum sector. Although U.S. companies are prohibited from engaging in oil-related business operations, European and other international firms have significant investments. The bill provides a series of penalties that can be applied to any international company that chooses to continue such activities. These penalties include prohibition by the U.S. Government on exports, financial assistance and federal government contracts, as well as the freezing of property and other assets within the country’s jurisdiction. Effectively, the legislation requires that—in order to do business in the United States and with the U.S. Government—foreign companies abide by same set of restrictions as American companies.

Oil trade is estimated to provide the Assad regime up to $8 million per day. With the Syrian economy flailing in the midst of violence, the oil sector serves as a problematic lifeline to a government perpetrating atrocities. Targeting this sector will stem the flow of enabling resources and send a clear signal to the regime that violence against civilians is unacceptable.

Take Action

Call 1-800-GENOCIDE (1-800-436-6243) today. The call is free. When prompted, enter your zip code and choose option number two to be connected with the office of one of your two United States Senators. Once connected to the office, urge your Senator to co-sponsor the Syria Sanctions Act (S.1472).

South Kordofan governor says Al-Hilu planned coup with Darfur rebels- Sudan Tribune

• Ahmed Haroun, governor of South Kordofan, has accused Abdel Aziz al-Hilu of plotting a coup with Darfuri rebels to assassinate 110 political leaders. Haroun beat al-Hilu in contentions gubernatorial elections earlier this year, which al-Hilu protested as rigged.

Kiir dissolves national intelligence, special branch and public security organs- Sudan Tribune

• President Salva Kiir has dissolved the national security and intelligence organization in South Sudan that had existed parallel to their north Sudanese counterparts. Kiir appointed two directors for external and internal security and is expected to form a new ministry for national security.

South Sudan limits currency conversion period to 45 days- Sudan Tribune

• The Central Bank of South Sudan announced that currency conversions to the new South Sudanese pound will only take place for 45 days following independence, after which the old currency will be valueless. The introduction of a new currency in the north necessitated the change in schedule.

South Sudan to implement immigration laws in March 2012 – Radio Miraya

• The Government of South Sudan will begin implementing immigration laws in March 2012, setting that as the deadline for Southerners to return from the north and finalize their nationality.

Sudan FM criticizes parliament on rebuke of U.S. congress- Sudan Tribune

• Sudan’s Foreign Minister criticized the parliament for passing a resolution last week that criticized the US Congress for imposing sanctions and not fulfilling previous pledges for steps to normalize relations. The FM spoke of the necessity of US support for following the roadmap to normalize relations.

Congressional statements and floor speeches are included below. We will continue to update this page.

Members of the House of Representatives Speak Out

July 6, 2011

Congressman Donald Payne (D-NJ)–Ranking Member of the Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee and Co-Chair of the Sudan Caucus–released a press statement saying in part:

As a Ranking Member on the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, and Human Rights, I have been committed to helping Sudan achieve peace and justice. I have worked closely with the U.S. Department of State and the international community throughout the years to ensure that South Sudan become an independent nation. The United States has been a critical partner in the peace process that led us to where we are today. Therefore, I am proud to be a part of the Presidential Delegation to participate in South Sudan’s independence ceremony. While today marks a great achievement, let us not forget to reinforce our past investment in diplomacy and development to ensure that the current progress evolves into stability and growth.

July 7, 2011

Congressman Hank Johnson (D-GA) made the following statement on the House floor:

Click here to view the embedded video.

July 8, 2011

Congressman Michael Capuano (D-MA)–Sudan Caucus Co-Chair–also made a speech on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Additionally, Congressman Capuano released a statement, which read in part:

As co-chair of the Sudan Caucus, I have been involved in seeking peaceful solutions for Sudan for years.  Violence still threatens the people of Sudan and South Sudan in the form of recent attacks in the northern border state of Southern Kordofan.  Over the last month, Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), directed by President Omar al-Bashir’s regime in Khartoum, have consistently attacked both southern-affiliated armed groups and civilians in the Nuba Mountains.  United Nations peacekeepers and staff are pinned down by fighting, and over 73,000 residents have been displaced so far in what some advocacy groups have called a campaign of ethnic cleansing against the Nuba people.  I am appalled by the SAF attacks and join those in the international community in calling for an immediate cessation of hostilities so that a peaceful separation may take place.

Success is by no means guaranteed for the country of South Sudan, and doubtless many challenges will arise.  Nonetheless, the people of South Sudan have long struggled and fought for this new freedom, and I will do all I can to help them succeed in their democratic endeavor.

Congressman Jeff Fortenberry (R-NE)–member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee–issued a statement that read in part:

This is an exciting time, especially considering the parallels of independence between our nations and the local connection to Nebraska. I wish the story of southern Sudan’s independence could all be this good news of the extraordinary event of people realizing their highest democratic hopes. But Sudan’s intensely tragic legacy will not immediately end on July 9th. Serious conflicts, microcosms of the decades-long violence, threaten a peaceful establishment of a free and viable new country.

Congressman Michael McCaul (R-TX)–Co-Chair of the Sudan Caucus and member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee–issued a statement that included:

Yet, the people of South Sudan still face many challenges.  There is more infrastructure to be built, governmental processes to be worked out, and a new currency to be established.  There are also unsettled issues with its neighbor, the Republic of Sudan, such as ending violence and suffering in Darfur, a long term oil revenue sharing agreement, border demarcation, fair distribution of debts, and establishing the qualifications for citizenship.

Tomorrow, we will celebrate the birth of a new nation.  However, with this tremendous event should come a renewed commitment from the world to preserve peace and cultivate a bright and stable future for the South Sudanese people.

Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ)–Chair of the Africa, Global Health and Human Rights Subcommittee–gave a speech on the House floor.

Click here to view the embedded video.

Other members of the House of Representatives issuing statements:

• Congressman Howard Berman (D-CA), Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
• Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL)
• Congressman Gregory Meeks (D-NY), member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee
• Congressman Tim Murphy (R-PA)
• Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL), Chair of the House Foreign Affairs Committee

Members of the Senate Speak Out

July 9, 2011

Senator John Kerry (D-MA), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, issued a statement that read in part:

As people dance for joy in Juba, bombs continue to fall in Southern Kordofan and people continue to languish in camps in Darfur.  Northern Sudan must come to terms not only with its southern neighbor but with its own challenges.  The path to peace follows the roadmap to a new relationship with the United States as well, which I hope to see become a reality.  The elements have been laid clear: adherence to the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, the resolution of Abyei and other issues, and progress in Darfur.  Khartoum took a giant step in the right direction by recognizing Southern Sudan as a new nation.  While Khartoum is losing territory, it has the opportunity to reenter the international community, with the benefits of debt relief and trade that can together outweigh the economic costs of separation.  But it cannot achieve those victories if it chooses to wage war against its own people.

Senator Chris Coons (D-DE), Chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Africa Subcommittee, also issued a statement that included:

As we celebrate, we also are mindful of the challenges that remain in Abyei, Southern Kordofan, Darfur and elsewhere. But today we celebrate and look toward building a future characterized by peace and development for all the people of Sudan and South Sudan.

In the midst of the debate, one critical point is repeatedly overlooked: the objective of protecting civilians.

Various legislative measures up for consideration before the House and Senate over the next few days could serve to either authorize or undermine the current efforts of the United States. The protection of civilians in Libya–along with the pursuit of America’s moral values and strategic national interest–is in jeopardy. Congress should act now to authorize the use of force to protect civilians in Libya.

(From left) Senators John McCain (R-AZ) and John Kerry (D-MA). Photo by Photo By Bill Clark/Roll Call.

Senate to Consider Kerry-McCain Resolution

On June 21, Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and John McCain (R-AZ) introduced a resolution that would authorize the use of force in Libya. In addition to Kerry and McCain, the bipartisan Senate Joint Resolution 20 (S.J.Res.20) currently has 10 co-sponsors. The Senate Foreign Relations Committee is expected to vote on S.J.Res.20 on Tuesday, June 28 following a hearing on Libya. If passed by the Committee, the resolution will then be up for a vote before the entire Senate.

House Considers Competing Pieces of Legislation

Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL)

Tomorrow, the House is expected to vote on at least one of three pieces of legislation involving Libya:

• House Joint Resolution 68 (H.J.Res.68), introduced by Congressman Alcee Hastings (D-FL), mirrors the Senate resolution and would authorize the use of force in Libya.
• A yet unnumbered House concurrent resolution would request that the President end U.S. involvement in offensive operations.
• House Bill 2278 (H.R.2278), introduced by Congressman Tom Rooney (R-FL), would cut off funding for offensive operations in Libya.

We are supportive of H.J.Res.68, but in opposition to both the concurrent resolution and H.R.2278.

You Can Help Support Civilian Protection in Libya

1. Call your senators and urge them to vote in favor of S.J.Res.20 to support civilian protection in Libya. Go here to locate contact information for your senators (search by state).
2. Call your representative and urge him/her vote in favor of H.J.Res.68 to support civilian protection in Libya. Go here to locate contact information for your representative.

Panelists included Princeton Lyman, US Special Envoy for Sudan; Roger Winter, former US Special Representative on Sudan; Eduardo Hiiboro Kussala, Bishop of the Diocese of Tambura-Yambio; John Eibner, CEO of Christian Solidarity International; and Dana Lyons Wilkins, a campaigner from Global Witness. Eight members of Congress attended the briefing, along with a full audience of civil society members.

Much of the hearing focused on the recent violence in Abyei and South Kordofan. In his opening statement, Congressman Chris Smith, Chair of the subcommittee, referred to the 100,000 people displaced from Abyei as a form of “ethnic cleansing” and expressed the urgent need to resolve these conflicts.

Ambassador Lyman recapped the extensive effort the US is putting into negotiations between north and south leading up to independence, particularly about Abyei and South Kordofan. He explained that “we will continue to intensify our diplomatic efforts in support of the negotiations in these final weeks before the South gains its independence”.

Former US Special Representative Winter, who worked on the Comprehensive Peace Agreement, asserted that the Government of Sudan was unlikely to adhere to any agreements, existing or future. He said that the time for talking has run out, and it is now time for action. He recommended “that the U.S. take a military action against a Khartoum military target now as a warning that the SAF violence against civilians must stop”.

Other discussion points included promoting transparency in the management of South Sudan’s oil industry, ending the enslavement of South Sudanese in the north, and giving church groups and civil society a voice in the government of South Sudan.

The universal sentiment at the end of the hearing was that progress must be made to achieve lasting peace in Sudan, though whether the US response will rely on talk or action remains to be seen.