How McDermott Has Addressed the Conflict in Sudan

Sudan is torn by two major conflicts. The country has been split north and south, between Muslim and Christian, for more than twenty years. The National Islamic Front (NIF) government in Khartoum has promoted this conflict, arming Muslim militias, engaging in slavery, and committing aerial attacks on civilians. This Sudanese government identifies Islam as its state religion, and it aligns itself with Islamic extremist groups including Hamas and Hezbollah. Operation Lifeline Sudan, a United Nations-coordinated relief effort, estimates that 800,000 people currently are affected by this conflict.

More recently, a second catastrophic struggle has come to the attention of the international community. Ethnic cleansing in the Darfur region, in western Sudan, has pitted government-authorized Arab Muslim militias, the Janjaweed, against African Muslim settlements. The militias are attacking civilian villages, raping and murdering their citizens, and looting their possessions. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) estimates that 213,000 people have been displaced into neighboring Chad by this ongoing attempt to purge the Darfur region of non-Arabs; casualties are nearing 80,000.

In 2004, the civil war in Sudan reached the point where Members of Congress concerned about Africa could only call the government-sponsored killings what it was: genocide. McDermott coauthored legislation formally calling the events in Darfur genocide, triggering the Bush Administration into action. McDermott joined with Members from the House Committee on International Relations to pass legislation imposing sanctions on the Khartoum government for their involvement in supporting the Janjaweed militia, the perpetrators of the raping, killing, and forced evacuation of the Fur people of Darfur. He worked with the Republicans and Democrats to urge the Bush Administration to take more forceful action at the United Nations to protect the people of Darfur and pressure the Sudanese government to stop supporting the Janjaweed.

During the summer of 2004, Congressman McDermott traveled to Chad, where the Darfur refugee camps are located, and into Sudan. He traveled with actor Don Cheadle (Hotel Rwanda) along with the Republican Chairman, Rep. Ed Royce, of the House Subcommittee on Africa to spend time with the Sudanese refugees and representatives from the African Union and the United Nations. He also met with the President of Algeria, a key player in the region, to try and understand the challenges facing the region and to work toward a solution. As it stands today, the African Union is the primary peacekeeping force tasked with protecting the Sudanese. Unfortunately, the African Union lacks the equipment, experience, and resources to adequately keep the peace. As a result, the security condition is Darfur is worsening daily, and the conflict appears to be spreading into neighboring Chad.

McDermott continues to work with his colleagues in the House to pressure the Bush Administration to take a more forceful role in securing security in Darfur. In particular, McDermott pressed the Secretary of State and the President to be forceful in the United Nations Security Council to bring about a meaningful and robust U.N. peacekeeping role in the region, while also proposing that perhaps the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could be used to keep the peace as well, while a permanent solution to the conflict in Sudan is negotiated.

Legislation related to the crisis in Sudan that McDermott has championed:

109th Congress:

H.R.1424  Cosponsor
Darfur Genocide Accountability Act of 2004
Last action: Referred to the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Relations on 4/7/2005  Read the bill...

H.R.3127  Cosponsor
Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2005
Last action: Referred to Senate committee on 4/6/2006  Read the bill...

H.R.1435  Cosponsor
To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to deny the foreign tax credit and the benefits of deferral to companies doing business directly or through subsidiaries in Sudan until the Government of Sudan takes demonstrable steps to end genocide in Sudan.
Last action: Referred to Committee on Ways and Means on 3/17/2005   Read the bill...

H.Res.723 Cosponsor
Calling on the President to take immediate steps to help improve the security situation in Darfur, Sudan, with a specific emphasis on civilian protection.
Last action: Referred to the House Committee on International Relations on 3/14/2006   Read the bill...

108th Congress:

H.Con.Res.467 Cosponsor
Declaring Genocide in Darfur, Sudan
Last action: Passed House 422-0 on 7/21/2004   Read the bill...

H.R.5061 Cosponsor
Comprehensive Peace in Sudan Act
Last action: Passed House 412-3 on 10/7/2004, became Public Law 108-497 on 12/23/2004 Read the bill...

Revision date: September 28, 2006