IV

107TH CONGRESS

1ST SESSION H. CON. RES. 112

Regarding the human rights situation in Sudan, including the practice of

chattel slavery.

IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

APRIL 26, 2001

Mr. PAYNE submitted the following concurrent resolution; which was referred

to the Committee on International Relations

CONCURRENT RESOLUTION

Regarding the human rights situation in Sudan, including

the practice of chattel slavery.

Whereas the Government of Sudan has perpetrated a prolonged campaign of human rights abuses against the people of Sudan;

Whereas the United States Department of State, Amnesty

International, and Human Rights Watch have all documented human rights abuses by the Government of

Sudan;

Whereas on March 21, 2001, the United States Commission

on International Religious Freedom stated in a report

that ‘‘the government of Sudan continues to commit

egregious human rights abuses including widespread

bombing of civilian and humanitarian targets, abduction

and enslavement by government-sponsored militias, ma-
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nipulation of humanitarian assistance as a weapon of

war, and severe restrictions on religious freedom’’;

Whereas the Government of Sudan has consistently and repeatedly aided militias engaged in slave raids in southern

Sudan and has done little to halt the practice of chattel

slavery;

Whereas government troops continue to provide logistical

support in transporting these armed militias to carry out

slave raids in southern Sudan;

Whereas the American Anti-Slavery Group and Christian Solidarity International have called for the disarming of militias engaged in slave raids in southern Sudan, as called

for by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Mary Robinson;

Whereas Christian Solidarity International estimates that

tens of thousands of southern Sudanese are being

enslaved and that tens of thousands have been redeemed

from slavery by Christian Solidarity International and

other groups over the past several years;

Whereas scores of freed slaves have recounted to rescuers

that they were systematically gang raped by members of

the Popular Defense Forces of Sudan;

Whereas the NAACP Executive Board passed an anti-slavery

resolution in 1995, condemning the practice of slavery in

Mauritania and Sudan; and

Whereas the slave raids being carried out by progovernment

militias are part of the military strategy of the Government of Sudan to defeat the Sudan People’s Liberation

Army and to depopulate southern Sudan: Now, therefore,

be it
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1 Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate

2 concurring), That the Congress—

3 (1) strongly condemns the Government of

4 Sudan and calls on the Government to honor its

5 international obligations to immediately bring an

6 end to the inhuman practice of forcing people into

7 slavery;

8 (2) demands that the Government of Sudan im9 mediately facilitate the reunification of family mem10 bers torn apart by the slave raids;

11 (3) calls on human rights organizations and

12 others to facilitate safe passage for slavery victims

13 to and from conflict zones in Sudan;

14 (4) strongly urges the President of the United

15 States to sponsor a resolution at the United Nations

16 Security Council to condemn the Government of

17 Sudan and to demand an immediate end to slavery

18 in Sudan;

19 (5) calls on the President to establish a ‘‘Slave

20 Victims Fund’’ to assist slave victims;

21 (6) strongly encourages the President to use the

22 funds which were appropriated for the National

23 Democratic Alliance of Sudan for fiscal year 2001 to

24 assist slave victims in Sudan;
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1 (7) urges the President to mobilize inter2 national support to end slavery in Sudan; and

3 (8) calls upon the United Nations Commission

4 on Human Rights, UNICEF, and the European

5 Union to end the use of euphemisms, such as ‘‘ab6 duction’’, as a substitute for slavery.

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