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[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 188 Agreed to Senate (ATS)]

<DOC>

116th CONGRESS
  1st Session
S. RES. 188

Encouraging a swift transfer of power by the military to a civilian-led 
    political authority in the Republic of the Sudan, and for other 
                               purposes.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                              May 2, 2019

   Mr. Cruz (for himself, Mr. Durbin, Mr. Risch, Mr. Van Hollen, Mr. 
  Cramer, Mr. Blumenthal, Mr. Isakson, Mr. Merkley, Mr. Boozman, Ms. 
Harris, Mr. Young, Mr. Coons, Mr. Roberts, Mr. Cardin, Mr. Hawley, Ms. 
     Klobuchar, Mr. Rubio, Mr. Graham, Mr. Peters, Ms. Smith, Mrs. 
    Feinstein, Ms. Warren, Ms. Baldwin, Mr. Booker, Mr. Braun, Mrs. 
   Gillibrand, Mr. Kaine, Mr. Wyden, Mr. Warner, Mr. Crapo, and Mr. 
 Markey) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the 
                     Committee on Foreign Relations

                              June 3, 2019

   Reported by Mr. Risch, with an amendment and an amendment to the 
                                preamble

                              July 9, 2019

      Considered, amended, and agreed to with an amended preamble

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Encouraging a swift transfer of power by the military to a civilian-led 
    political authority in the Republic of the Sudan, and for other 
                               purposes.

Whereas the nation of Sudan has endured corrupt and brutal dictatorships for 
        most of its post-independence period since 1956;
Whereas President Omar al-Bashir came to power through a military coup in 1989, 
        and for the next 3 decades his government was responsible for horrendous 
        crimes in Sudan, especially in Darfur, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and in 
        what is now the Republic of South Sudan;
Whereas the United States Government designated Sudan as a State Sponsor of 
        Terrorism on August 12, 1993, for its support to international terrorist 
        organizations and extremists, including elements of what would later be 
        known as al Qaeda;
Whereas more than 2 decades of civil war between President al-Bashir's 
        government and insurgents in southern Sudan resulted in more than 
        2,000,000 deaths and led to the eventual independence of South Sudan in 
        2011;
Whereas in 2003, President al-Bashir's government launched a ruthless crackdown 
        against insurgents and civilians in Darfur, which killed at least 
        300,000 Sudanese and displaced 2,500,000 more people, prompting Congress 
        and the Administration of President George W. Bush, in 2004, to describe 
        the Government of Sudan's actions in Darfur as genocide;
Whereas in 2011, when conflict resumed in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states, 
        President al-Bashir's government conducted indiscriminate bombings, 
        raided villages, raped and killed civilians, and waged a campaign of 
        forced starvation in the Nuba Mountains region of South Kordofan that 
        displaced as many as 2,000,000 people;
Whereas, while the fighting between government forces and insurgents in Darfur 
        has subsided since 2016, violent attacks against civilians continue and 
        humanitarian access remains restricted in some opposition stronghold 
        areas of Darfur, South Kordofan, and Blue Nile;
Whereas President al-Bashir remains the subject of 2 outstanding arrest warrants 
        from the International Criminal Court based on charges that include 5 
        counts of crimes against humanity, 2 counts of war crimes, and 3 counts 
        of genocide;
Whereas Sudan's economic crisis risks bringing the national economy to total 
        collapse, further increasing the possibility of state failure and 
        broader regional destabilization that could threaten a wide array of 
        United States' interests in East and North Africa and the Red Sea 
        regions;
Whereas the people of Sudan have engaged since December 2018 in a wave of 
        peaceful protests throughout the country, demanding an end to President 
        al-Bashir's brutal regime and pressing for a citizen-centered democratic 
        transition;
Whereas women have played a prominent role in the protest movement and have 
        helped to bring about the ouster of former President al-Bashir;
Whereas President al-Bashir's government unlawfully detained and tortured 
        hundreds of Sudanese during the protests, including political leaders, 
        journalists, doctors, unionists, and youth and women leaders, in gross 
        violation of international civil and human rights, some of whom remain 
        in detention;
Whereas on February 22, 2019, President al-Bashir declared a year-long 
        nationwide state of emergency and curfew, dissolved his government, 
        replaced state governors with senior security officers, and expanded the 
        powers of Sudan's security forces;
Whereas when protesters in early April 2019 challenged President al-Bashir's 
        decrees and gathered in the tens of thousands in front of Sudan's 
        military headquarters in Khartoum to call for an end to the al-Bashir 
        regime, some elements of the security forces tried to disperse the 
        crowds with violence, leading to clashes between internal security 
        forces and the military as some soldiers sought to protect the 
        protesters;
Whereas on April 11, 2019, after 5 days of mass protests in front of their 
        headquarters, Sudan's military removed President al-Bashir from office, 
        and the country's First Vice President and Minister of Defense, Lt. 
        General Awad Ibn Auf--

    (1) announced that he would lead a Transitional Military Council that 
would rule the country for a 2-year period;

    (2) suspended the Constitution;

    (3) the dissolved the National Assembly; and

    (4) imposed a 3-month State of Emergency and nightly curfew;

Whereas Lt. General Abdel-Fattah al-Burhan, former general inspector of the 
        Sudanese Armed Forces, who replaced Lt. General Ibn Auf on April 12, 
        2019, as the chairman of the Transitional Military Council, said, on 
        April 21, 2019, that the council was ``ready to hand over power tomorrow 
        to a civilian government agreed by political forces'';
Whereas the Rapid Support Forces, paramilitary forces led by Lt. General 
        Mohammed Hamdan Dagolo (also known as ``Hemmeti''), a former Janjaweed 
        leader who currently serves as the deputy chairman of the Transitional 
        Military Council--

    (1) have been implicated by the United Nations Panel of Experts in 
widespread violations of international humanitarian law that human rights 
groups suggest may amount to war crimes; and

    (2) have been accused of killing protesters during the recent uprising;

Whereas, the African Union Peace and Security Council convened on April 30, 
        2019, and reiterated its conviction that ``a military-led transition in 
        Sudan will be totally unacceptable and contrary to the will and 
        legitimate aspirations'' of the Sudanese people, expressed ``deep 
        regret'' that the military had not stepped aside, and, noting 
        negotiations were underway, demanded that the military hand over power 
        to a civilian-led transitional authority within 60 days;
Whereas on June 3, 2019, the Rapid Support Forces led a brutal attack on 
        peaceful protesters, with the aim of eradicating a large sit-in site in 
        front of Sudan's military headquarters in Khartoum, which resulted in 
        more than 100 deaths, hundreds of injuries, several cases of rape, 
        indiscriminate beatings and shooting of unarmed protesters, and other 
        human rights abuses;
Whereas, the Khartoum massacre on June 3, 2019, was followed by a nationwide 
        crackdown led by the Rapid Support Forces against peaceful protesters 
        and civilians that included--

    (1) violent attacks on citizens in Khartoum and other major cities;

    (2) the brutal detention of protesters and opposition leaders like 
Yasir Arman, with many disappearances of those detained;

    (3) the targeting of hospitals and medical workers caring for the 
injured; and

    (4) the overt attempts by Sudanese authorities to cover-up the scale of 
their atrocities by dumping bodies in the Nile river and shutting off 
access to the Internet; and

Whereas, the international community has widely condemned the actions of the 
        Rapid Support Forces, with the African Union's Peace and Security 
        Council voting on June 6, 2019, to suspend Sudan from all African Union 
        activities until a civilian government is formed, and United Nations' 
        experts appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, on June 
        12, 2019, calling for an independent investigation into the violence 
        against protesters in Sudan: Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) supports the African Union Peace and Security Council's 
        initial 2-week deadline urging a swift transfer of power by the 
        military to a civilian-led political authority in Sudan that--
                    (A) has a civilian character and composition 
                reflecting the will of the Declaration of Freedom and 
                Change Forces leading negotiations on behalf of 
                citizens; and
                    (B) immediately begins a transparent process 
                leading to credible elections and security sector 
                reforms;
            (2) calls on the ruling authorities in Sudan--
                    (A) to respect the right to freedom of association 
                and expression;
                    (B) to protect the rights of opposition political 
                parties, journalists, human rights defenders, religious 
                minorities, nongovernmental organizations, and civic 
                movements to operate without interference;
                    (C) to lift the bureaucratic restrictions on, and 
                facilitate access for, humanitarian relief operations;
                    (D) to introduce strong measures to create 
                transparency and address the structural corruption and 
                kleptocracy of the state;
                    (E) to pursue accountability for serious crimes and 
                human rights abuses by former President al-Bashir's 
                regime and permit international human rights monitors 
                to deploy in Sudan to examine the allegations of 
                atrocities committed against protesters and civilians 
                during 2019;
                    (F) to release remaining political prisoners and 
                refrain from arbitrary arrest, detention, and torture; 
                and
                    (G) to immediately restore Internet access and 
                avoid further denial of access to suppress the 
                fundamental human right of freedom of expression and 
                association by Sudanese citizens;
            (3) urges the United States Government to lead in efforts 
        that advance a peaceful transfer of power and a civilian-led 
        transition period focused on creating the conditions under 
        which timely democratic elections can be held that will meet 
        international standards and be overseen by credible domestic 
        and international electoral observers, and for the peaceful 
        resolution of Sudan's conflicts;
            (4) encourages the African Union and its member states to 
        continue supporting the Sudanese people's aspirations for 
        democracy, justice, and peace;
            (5) expresses concern that the participation in the 
        transitional government of individuals who have been implicated 
        in possible war crimes would undermine efforts to restore peace 
        and democracy and pursue justice and accountability in Sudan;
            (6) emphasizes that until a transition to a credible 
        civilian-led government that reflects the aspirations of the 
        Sudanese people is established, the process to consider 
        removing Sudan from the State Sponsor of Terrorism List, 
        lifting any other remaining sanctions on Sudan, or normalizing 
        relations with the Government of Sudan will continue to be 
        suspended; and
            (7) stands in solidarity with the people of Sudan and their 
        aspirations for a democratic, participatory government.
                                 <all>
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