III 

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, 

and Ms. SMITH) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

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 three decades his 

government was responsible for horrendous crimes in 

Sudan, especially Darfur, South Kordofan, Blue Nile, 

and in what is now the Republic of South Sudan; 


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•SRES 188 IS 

Whereas the United States Government designated Sudan 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 two 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 that killed at least 300,000 Sudanese and displaced 2,500,000 more, resulting in Congress and the 

Administration of President George W. Bush in 2004 describing as genocide the Government of Sudan’s actions 

in Darfur; 

Whereas in 2011, when conflict resumed in South Kordofan 

and Blue Nile states, President al-Bashir’s government 

conducted indiscriminate bombings and raided villages, 

raping and killing 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, when the 

government waged a large-scale offensive before declaring 

a ceasefire, 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 two outstanding arrest warrants from the International Criminal 


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•SRES 188 IS 

Court based on charges including five counts of crimes 

against humanity, two counts of war crimes, and three 

counts of genocide; 

Whereas Sudan’s economic crisis risks bringing the national 

economy to total collapse, further raising 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 the hegemony of President alBashir’s brutal regime; 

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 violation of 

the country’s constitutional provisions guaranteeing free 

speech, association, and assembly; 

Whereas, on February 22, 2019, President al-Bashir declared 

a year-long nationwide state of emergency and curfew, 

dissolving his government and replacing state governors 

with senior security officers and expanding the powers of 

Sudan’s security forces; 

Whereas when protesters in early April 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 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; 


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•SRES 188 IS 

Whereas, on April 11, 2019, after five 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, announced he would lead a Transitional 

Military Committee (‘‘TMC’’) that would rule the country 

for a two-year transition period, in addition to the suspension of the Constitution, dissolution of the National 

Assembly, and the imposition of a three-month State of 

Emergency and nightly curfew; 

Whereas Lt. General Abdel-Fattah Burnhan, former general 

inspector of the Sudanese Armed Forces, who replaced 

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’’; and 

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: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) encourages a swift transfer of power by the 

3 military to a civilian-led political authority in Sudan 

4 that— 


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•SRES 188 IS 

1 (A) respects and reflects the legitimate 

2 democratic aspirations of the people of Sudan; 

3 and 

4 (B) engages in a credible process of de5 mocratization, governance, and security sector 

6 reforms, and is transparent in how it measures 

7 such progress; 

8 (2) calls on the ruling authorities in Sudan to 

9 take measurable steps to— 

10 (A) respect the right to freedom of associa11 tion and expression; 

12 (B) protect the rights of opposition polit13 ical parties, journalists, human rights defend14 ers, religious minorities, and nongovernmental 

15 organizations to operate without interference; 

16 (C) lift the bureaucratic restrictions on 

17 and facilitate access for humanitarian relief op18 erations; 

19 (D) introduce strong measures to create 

20 transparency and address the structural corrup21 tion and kleptocracy of the state; and 

22 (E) pursue accountability for serious 

23 crimes and human rights abuses; 

24 (3) expresses solidarity with the people of 

25 Sudan, and urges the United States Government to 


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•SRES 188 IS 

1 provide diplomatic, technical, and targeted financial 

2 assistance for efforts to advance a peaceful transfer 

3 of power and a civilian-led transition period that al4 lows for the peaceful resolution of Sudan’s conflicts 

5 and creates the conditions under which timely demo6 cratic elections can be held that will meet inter7 national standards and be overseen by credible do8 mestic and international electoral observers; 

9 (4) encourages the African Union to continue 

10 supporting the Sudanese people’s aspirations for de11 mocracy, justice, and peace; and 

12 (5) emphasizes that until a transition to a cred13 ible civilian-led government that reflects the aspira14 tions of the Sudanese people is established, the proc15 ess to consider removing Sudan from the State 

16 Sponsor of Terrorism List, lifting any other remain17 ing sanctions on Sudan, or normalizing relations 

18 with the Government of Sudan will continue to be 

19 suspended. 

Æ 


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