IV

105TH CONGRESS

2D SESSION S. RES. 267

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President, acting through the

United States Agency for International Development, should more effectively secure emergency famine relief for the people of Sudan, and for

other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

JULY 31, 1998

Mr. FRIST (for himself, Mr. FEINGOLD, Mr. DEWINE, Mr. GRAMS, and Mr.

ASHCROFT) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and

agreed to

RESOLUTION

Expressing the sense of the Senate that the President, acting

through the United States Agency for International Development, should more effectively secure emergency famine relief for the people of Sudan, and for other purposes.

Whereas the National Islamic Front regime in Khartoum,

Sudan, continues to wage a brutal war against its own

people in southern Sudan;

Whereas that war has already caused the death of more than

1,500,000 Sudanese since 1983;

Whereas famine conditions now threaten areas of southern

Sudan as a direct consequence of the concerted and sustained effort by the regime in Khartoum to subdue its
2

•SRES 267 ATS

southern regions by force and including violations of

basic human rights;

Whereas famine conditions are exacerbated by diversions of

humanitarian assistance by armed parties on all sides of

the conflict;

Whereas the United Nations World Food Program has now

targeted 2,600,000 Sudanese for famine relief aid, to be

distributed through an umbrella arrangement called ‘‘Operation Lifeline Sudan’’;

Whereas the regime in Khartoum retains the ability to deny

the relief agencies operating in Operation Lifeline Sudan

the clearance to distribute food according to needs in

Sudan;

Whereas the regime in Khartoum has used humanitarian assistance as a weapon by routinely denying the requests

by Operation Lifeline Sudan and its members to distribute food and other crucial items in needy areas of Sudan

both within the Khartoum regime’s control and areas

outside the Khartoum regime’s control, including the

Nuba Mountains;

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development provides famine relief to the people of Sudan primarily through groups operating within Operation Lifeline Sudan and, thus, subjects that relief to the arrangement’s associated constraints imposed by the regime in

Khartoum;

Whereas several relief groups already operate successfully in

areas of southern Sudan where Operation Lifeline Sudan

has been denied access in the past, thus providing crucial

assistance to the distressed population;
3

•SRES 267 ATS

Whereas it is in the interest of the people of Sudan and the

people of the United States, to take proactive and preventative measures to avoid any future famine conditions

in southern Sudan;

Whereas the United States Agency for International Development, when it pursues assistance programs most effectively, encourages economic self-sufficiency;

Whereas assistance activities should serve as integral elements in preventing famine conditions in southern Sudan

in the future;

Whereas the current international and media attention to the

starving populations in southern Sudan and to the causes

of the famine conditions that affect them have pushed

the regime in Khartoum and the rebel forces to announce

a tentative but temporary cease-fire to allow famine relief

aid to be more widely distributed; and

Whereas the current level of attention weakens the resolve of

the regime in Khartoum to manipulate famine relief for

its own agenda: Now, therefore, be it

1 Resolved, That it is the sense of the Senate that—

2 (1) the President, acting through the United

3 States Agency for International Development,

4 should—

5 (A) aggressively seek to secure emergency

6 famine relief for the people of Sudan who now

7 face widespread starvation;

8 (B) immediately take appropriate steps to

9 distribute that famine relief to affected areas in

10 Sudan, including the use of relief groups oper-
4

•SRES 267 ATS

1 ating outside the umbrella of Operation Lifeline

2 Sudan and without regard to a group’s status

3 with respect to Operation Lifeline Sudan; and

4 (C) encourage and assist Operation Life5 line Sudan and the ongoing efforts to develop

6 relief distribution networks for affected areas of

7 Sudan outside of the umbrella and associated

8 constraints of Operation Lifeline Sudan;

9 (2) both bilaterally and within the United Na10 tions, the President should aggressively seek to

11 change the terms by which Operation Lifeline Sudan

12 and other groups are prohibited from providing nec13 essary relief according to the true needs of the peo14 ple of Sudan;

15 (3) the President, acting through the United

16 States Agency for International Development,

17 should—

18 (A) begin providing development assistance

19 in areas of Sudan not controlled by the regime

20 in Khartoum with the goal of building self-suffi21 ciency and avoiding the same conditions which

22 have created the current crisis, and with the

23 goal of longer-term economic, civil, and demo24 cratic development, including the development

25 of rule of law, within the overall framework of
5

•SRES 267 ATS

1 United States strategy throughout sub-Saharan

2 Africa; and

3 (B) undertake such efforts without regard

4 to the constraints that now compromise the

5 ability of Operation Lifeline Sudan to distribute

6 famine relief or that could constrain future

7 multilateral relief arrangements;

8 (4) the Administrator of the United States

9 Agency for International Development should submit

10 a report to the appropriate congressional committees

11 on the Agency’s progress toward meeting these

12 goals; and

13 (5) the policy expressed in this resolution

14 should be implemented without a return to the sta15 tus quo ante policy after the immediate famine con16 ditions are addressed and international attention has

17 decreased.

18 SEC. 2. The Secretary of the Senate shall transmit

19 a copy of this resolution to the President and the Adminis20 trator of the United States Agency for International De21 velopment.

Æ