IV 

110TH CONGRESS 

2D SESSION H. RES. 1290 

Joining the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees 

in observance of World Refugee Day and calling on the United States 

Government, international organizations, and aid groups to take immediate steps to secure urgently needed humanitarian relief for the more 

than 2,000,000 people displaced by genocide in the Darfur region of 

Sudan. 

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

JUNE 20, 2008 

Mr. BERMAN (for himself, Ms. LEE, Mr. ACKERMAN, Mr. PAYNE, Ms. JACKSON-LEE of Texas, Ms. WOOLSEY, Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN, Mr. CHABOT, 

Mr. ENGEL, Mr. SMITH of New Jersey, Mr. WOLF, Ms. ZOE LOFGREN

of California, Mr. BURTON of Indiana, and Ms. GIFFORDS) submitted the 

following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs 

RESOLUTION 

Joining the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner 

for Refugees in observance of World Refugee Day and 

calling on the United States Government, international 

organizations, and aid groups to take immediate steps 

to secure urgently needed humanitarian relief for the 

more than 2,000,000 people displaced by genocide in 

the Darfur region of Sudan. 

Whereas the United States has resettled over 2,600,000 refugees since 1975, and over 160,000 in the last 5 years, 

yet reportedly only 5 Darfuris have been offered refuge 

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by the United States during the 5-year genocide that has 

claimed more than 300,000 lives and displaced 2,600,000 

people from the Darfur region of Sudan; 

Whereas a significant number of those displaced by the conflict in Darfur are unable to remain in encampments due 

to critical medical or security concerns and are in dire 

need of resettlement; 

Whereas millions of Darfuris who have lost their homes and 

their loved ones as a result of the Sudanese regime’s genocidal campaign continue to face grave security risks as 

refugees and internally displaced persons (IDPs) and depend on the goodwill of neighboring countries and the 

generosity of the world humanitarian community for subsistence; 

Whereas an estimated 70 to 80 percent of the 2,600,000 refugees and IDPs are women and children, including at 

least 1,000,000 children and teens; 

Whereas the April 13, 2008, attack by Sudan-backed rebels 

on the Chadian capital of N’djamena, the May 10, 2008, 

attack by the Chad-backed rebel Justice and Equality 

Movement on a suburb of the Sudanese capital of Khartoum, and the increased splintering and violence between 

armed groups, including the rebels, Janjaweed, and other 

armed groups, have contributed to the drastic deterioration of security in and around Darfur; 

Whereas the deteriorating security situation in Darfur and 

Chad has resulted in new displacements, further depriving already marginalized refugee communities, forcing relief agencies to curtail their operations, and placing even 

greater strain on refugee and IDP encampments; 

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Whereas the operations of humanitarian assistance groups 

have frequently been impeded by the hijacking and pillaging of their convoys by various armed groups, totaling 

roughly 100 incidents thus far in 2008, the abduction of 

28 drivers who still remain missing, and the murder of 

5 humanitarian aid workers this year alone; 

Whereas the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) has expressed concern that protracted 

conflict and displacement has eroded traditional leadership structures and may ultimately lead to the 

radicalization of an entire generation of Darfuri youth; 

Whereas few refugees from Darfur living in refugee camps in 

Chad have access to secondary education, and boys and 

young men not attending school are at risk of being recruited by various armed groups in the region; 

Whereas the most recent estimate of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs concluded that there are 243,031 refugees in Eastern Chad; 

Whereas the continuing genocide and new displacements have 

resulted in overcrowding and malnourishment in both refugee camps in Chad and IDP camps in Sudan; 

Whereas the United Nations-African Union Mission in 

Darfur (UNAMID), that was deployed pursuant to 

United Nations Security Council Resolution 1769 (2007) 

to prevent armed attacks and protect civilians, has proven understaffed, underfunded, and consequently unprepared to completely protect displaced persons and even 

themselves from an onslaught of merciless attacks and 

banditry; 

Whereas a $48,000,000 budget shortfall at the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) threatens to substanmstockstill on PROD1PC66 with BILLS

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tially limit food aid to the 4,500,000 people in Darfur 

and surrounding areas who currently rely on it, and as 

of June 10, 2008, the WFP has announced that it has 

curtailed flights for aid workers in Sudan due to funding 

shortfalls for the Humanitarian Aid Service; 

Whereas the United Nations Consolidated Appeals Process 

(CAP) 2008 humanitarian appeal for Chad is 

$287,000,000; 

Whereas of the $287,000,000 requested in the CAP appeal 

for Chad in 2008, only $142,509,209 in funding has been 

received, including $33,780,520 received from the United 

States Government as of June 16, 2008; 

Whereas the United States is the largest bilateral donor to 

Sudan and has provided more than $3,000,000,000 for 

humanitarian programs in Sudan and eastern Chad since 

fiscal year 2004; 

Whereas Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel has asked whether, after 

3 continents have become prisons, killing fields, and 

cemeteries for countless innocent, defenseless populations, 

the plague of genocide—and indifference to it—will be allowed to spread through Darfur and elsewhere unabated; 

and 

Whereas World Refugee Day affords the House of Representatives the opportunity to galvanize the collective conscience of the world community: Now, therefore, be it 

1 Resolved, That the House of Representatives— 

2 (1) reaffirms the historic commitment of the 

3 United States as a nation founded by refugees to 

4 serve as a place of refuge and to promote the safety, 

5 health, and well-being of millions of refugees who 

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1 flee war, famine, persecution, and torture in search 

2 of peace, nourishment, hope, and freedom; 

3 (2) calls on the Department of State to con4 tinue to support the efforts of the United Nations 

5 High Commissioner for Refugees and to advance the 

6 work of nongovernmental organizations, especially 

7 those that also have expertise in resettlement, to 

8 protect refugees; 

9 (3) calls on the United States Government to 

10 continue and strengthen its leadership role in the 

11 international community in response to the people of 

12 the Darfur region of Sudan who have been displaced 

13 by Sudan’s genocide, including the most vulnerable 

14 populations who endure sexual violence, human traf15 ficking, forced conscription, and exploitation; 

16 (4) urges the parties to the conflicts in and be17 tween Chad and Sudan to immediately conclude and 

18 respect a binding cessation of hostilities agreement, 

19 commit themselves to finding a political solution 

20 which addresses the root causes of those conflicts, 

21 and create an environment conducive to the safe and 

22 voluntary return of all displaced persons; 

23 (5) demands that all armed groups in the re24 gion immediately cease their attacks on civilians, 

25 peacekeepers, and humanitarian operations and halt 

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1 all recruitment activities in camps for displaced per2 sons; 

3 (6) calls upon the Joint African Union-United 

4 Nations Special Representative for Darfur to ensure 

5 that displaced persons are fairly and equally rep6 resented in all peace negotiations; 

7 (7) calls on the Department of State and the 

8 President, to continue to work with the United Na9 tions, the African Union, and nongovernmental orga10 nizations, in an effort to help bring about real and 

11 lasting peace and stability in Darfur, within refugee 

12 and displaced persons camps, and along the Chadian 

13 border; 

14 (8) calls on the Department of State and the 

15 Department of Homeland Security to facilitate the 

16 resettlement of an appropriate number of Darfuris 

17 who have been displaced and have little chance of re18 turning to their homes by formulating a program of 

19 resettlement of Darfuris in fiscal year 2009; 

20 (9) commends those who have risked their lives 

21 working for the multitude of nongovernmental orga22 nizations, along with the United Nations High Com23 missioner for Refugees, who have provided life-sav24 ing assistance and helped protect those displaced by 

25 the conflict in Darfur; and 

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1 (10) affirms the goals of World Refugee Day 

2 and reiterates its strong commitment to protecting 

3 the millions of refugees who live without material, 

4 social, and legal protections. 

Æ 

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