III 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION S. RES. 432 

Urging the international community to provide the United Nations-African 

Union Mission in Sudan with essential tactical and utility helicopters. 

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES 

JANUARY 28, 2008 

Mr. BIDEN (for himself, Mr. LUGAR, Mr. MENENDEZ, Mr. CARDIN, Mr. DURBIN, Mr. BROWNBACK, Mr. LEVIN, Mr. FEINGOLD, Ms. MIKULSKI, Mr. 

KERRY, Mrs. MURRAY, Ms. KLOBUCHAR, Mr. LIEBERMAN, Mrs. CLINTON, Mr. DODD, Mr. LAUTENBERG, Mr. BURR, Mr. HAGEL, Mr. 

VOINOVICH, Mr. ISAKSON, Mrs. DOLE, Mr. COLEMAN, Mr. SUNUNU, Mr. 

LEAHY, Mr. SANDERS, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. SMITH, Mr. MARTINEZ, Mr. 

COCHRAN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. CORKER, Mr. CORNYN, Ms. COLLINS, and 

Mr. WHITEHOUSE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred 

to the Committee on Foreign Relations 

FEBRUARY 8 (legislative day, FEBRUARY 6), 2008 

Committee discharged; considered and agreed to 

RESOLUTION 

Urging the international community to provide the United 

Nations-African Union Mission in Sudan with essential 

tactical and utility helicopters. 

Whereas, on August 30, 2006, the United Nations Security 

Council approved United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706, providing that the existing United Nations 

Mission in Sudan (UNMIS) ‘‘shall take over from [the 

African Mission in Sudan (AMIS)] responsibility for supporting the implementation of the Darfur Peace AgreeVerDate Aug 31 2005 21:33 Feb 08, 2008 Jkt 069200 PO 00000 Frm 00001 Fmt 6652 Sfmt 6300 E:\BILLS\SR432.ATS SR432

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SRES 432 ATS 

ment upon the expiration of AMIS’ mandate but in any 

event no later than 31 December 2006’’; 

Whereas, on July 31, 2007, the United Nations Security 

Council approved United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 reaffirming Resolution 1706 and stating that 

the Security Council ‘‘[d]ecides . . . to authorise and mandate the establishment . . . of an AU/UN Hybrid operation in Darfur (UNAMID) . . . [and] [d]ecides that 

UNAMID, which shall incorporate AMIS personnel and 

the UN Heavy and Light Support Packages to AMIS, 

shall consist of up to 19,555 military personnel, including 

360 military observers and liaison officers, and an appropriate civilian component including up to 3,772 police 

personnel and 19 formed police units comprising up to 

140 personnel each’’; 

Whereas, on December 31, 2007, the United Nations-African 

Union hybrid mission formally assumed control of peacekeeping operations in Darfur, but did so with only approximately 9,000 troops and police on the ground, far 

short of both the authorized and necessary levels; 

Whereas the Government of Sudan continues to obstruct implementation of Security Council Resolutions 1706 and 

1769 in several respects, including by refusing to conclude a Status of Forces Agreement or to cooperate on 

issues such as the force composition, the authorization of 

night flights, customs clearance, land access, and visas 

for staff; 

Whereas, on January 7, 2008, uniformed elements of the 

army of Sudan attacked a clearly marked UNAMID supply convoy, severely wounding a Sudanese civilian driver; 


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Whereas rebels, militias, government forces, bandits, and others continue to prey upon the people of Darfur and upon 

humanitarian workers, increasing the urgency of both deploying the full complement of peacekeepers and police 

and of reaching a lasting political settlement; 

Whereas the preliminary results of a United Nations assessment entitled the ‘‘Food Security and Nutrition Assessment of the Conflict-Affected Population of Darfur (August/September 2007)’’ reveal that global acute malnutrition in Darfur increased in 2007, exceeding emergency 

levels in some regions; 

Whereas the United Nations-African Union Mission in Sudan 

has been hampered not only by obstruction by the Government of Sudan and other obstacles to peace in the region, but by the failure of the international community 

to commit the resources, equipment, and personnel needed to carry out the peacekeeping mission, most notably 

the failure to provide critically needed aviation and transportation assets; 

Whereas the United Nations-African Union Mission in Sudan 

needs, among other critical mobility capabilities that have 

not been met, 18 utility helicopters and 6 tactical helicopters and crews; 

Whereas, in a report to the Security Council dated December 

24, 2007, the Secretary-General termed these helicopters 

indispensable and stated that ‘‘UNAMID must be capable of rapid mobility over large distances, especially over 

terrain where roads are the exception. Without the missing helicopters, this mobility—a fundamental requirement 

for the implementation of the UNAMID mandate—will 

not be possible.’’; 


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Whereas a large number of countries possess the military assets that could help to fulfill this requirement; 

Whereas the United States continues to lead the world in its 

contributions to efforts to end the genocide in Darfur, including by providing more than $4,500,000,000 since 

2004 in response to the Darfur crisis; 

Whereas continued failure on the part of the international 

community to take all steps necessary to generate, deploy, and maintain an effective United Nations-African 

Union hybrid peacekeeping force will result in the continued loss of life and further degradation of humanitarian 

infrastructure in Darfur; and 

Whereas it would be inexcusable for the international community to allow an authorized peacekeeping mission intended to help bring an end to genocide and its effects 

to founder or be compromised because of a failure to 

commit critical elements, such as the 24 helicopters needed to meet the critical mobility capabilities of the United 

Nations-African Union Mission in Sudan: Now, therefore, 

be it 

1 Resolved, That the Senate— 

2 (1) urges the members of the international com3 munity, including the United States, that possess 

4 the capability to provide the tactical and utility heli5 copters needed for the United Nations-African 

6 Union peacekeeping mission in Darfur to do so as 

7 soon as possible; and 

8 (2) urges the President to intervene personally 

9 by contacting other heads of state and asking them 


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SRES 432 ATS 

1 to contribute the aircraft and crews for the Darfur 

2 mission. 

Æ 


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