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[Congressional Bills 118th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. Res. 831 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

<DOC>

118th CONGRESS
  2d Session
S. RES. 831

Supporting the inclusion of the women of Sudan in United States efforts 
                     to end the conflict in Sudan.

_______________________________________________________________________

                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                           September 19, 2024

   Mrs. Shaheen (for herself and Mr. Booker) submitted the following 
  resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Relations

_______________________________________________________________________

                               RESOLUTION

 
Supporting the inclusion of the women of Sudan in United States efforts 
                     to end the conflict in Sudan.

Whereas the women of Sudan have long led the fight for democracy in Sudan, 
        including by establishing the Sudanese Women's Union after Sudan won its 
        independence;
Whereas, following the end of the regime of Omar al-Bashir in April 2019, many 
        Sudanese women mobilized and advocated for a civilian transitional 
        government and secured progress such as the criminalization of female 
        genital mutilation, the repeal of strict public order laws that governed 
        the presence and attire of women in public spaces, and the codification 
        of women's rights in the transitional constitution;
Whereas, despite making progress toward the meaningful inclusion of women in the 
        political process, women in Sudan were largely left out of peace efforts 
        and talks to transition to a civilian government;
Whereas many Sudanese women led and participated in protests to hold their 
        government accountable during the transitional period and against the 
        overthrow of Sudan's civilian transitional government by General Abdel 
        Fattah al-Burhan, chair of the transitional Sovereign Council and head 
        of the Sudanese Armed Forces, and other members of the Transitional 
        Military Council, including Rapid Support Forces commander Lieutenant 
        General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (Hemedti);
Whereas, in response to the protests, military officials conducted a crackdown 
        on peaceful protestors that included extrajudicial killings, forced 
        disappearances, torture, and the use of sexual- and gender-based 
        violence to silence and oppress women;
Whereas, despite calls for accountability by the women of Sudan and the 
        international community, numerous perpetrators of human rights abuses in 
        Sudan have never been brought to justice, including those who 
        perpetrated violence under the Omar al-Bashir regime, during the 
        protests to end the regime, and as part of the military junta that took 
        power from the transitional government;
Whereas the systemic oppression of protestors has facilitated democratic 
        backsliding and perpetuated a culture of impunity in Sudan;
Whereas, on April 15, 2023, war broke out in Sudan between the Rapid Support 
        Forces and the Sudanese Armed Forces, resulting in thousands of civilian 
        casualties and a crisis for the future of democratic governance in 
        Sudan;
Whereas Sudan is facing the world's largest internal displacement crisis with 
        more than 11,000,000 people internally displaced;
Whereas Sudan is facing the world's worst education crisis as more than 
        19,000,000 children, more than half of whom are girls, are out of school 
        due to violence or displacement;
Whereas Sudan is facing the world's worst hunger crisis as more than 25,000,000 
        people, the majority of whom are women and children, are facing acute 
        food insecurity due to the war;
Whereas, as of March 2024 in Sudan, more than 1,000,000 women who are pregnant 
        or breastfeeding were facing acute malnutrition and more than 3,000,000 
        children were facing acute malnutrition, and the nutrition situation has 
        since deteriorated sharply;
Whereas the Famine Review Committee has determined that famine is taking place 
        in Zamzam camp in North Darfur, which is home to more than 500,000 
        displaced people, and the Famine Early Warning Network warns that nearby 
        areas, as well as other parts of the Darfur and Kordofan regions and the 
        capital, Khartoum, also face a risk of famine;
Whereas, globally, women are more likely to suffer during famines and go hungry 
        in the face of food insecurity;
Whereas the United Nations estimates that more than 6,700,000 people in Sudan 
        face risks of gender-based violence;
Whereas, in October 2023, the Human Rights Council established an independent 
        fact-finding mission for Sudan that found that instances of sexual 
        exploitation, sexual slavery, and sexual abuse are occurring in Sudan, 
        particularly in areas controlled by the Rapid Support Forces, in 
        addition to torture, rape, and other forms of sexual violence;
Whereas instances of sexual violence in Sudan are primarily perpetrated by the 
        Rapid Support Forces as a tool to commit genocide;
Whereas, since the war began, rates of domestic violence in Sudan have 
        increased;
Whereas hundreds of cases of rape have been reported during the war, resulting 
        in one of the highest rates of rape during conflict ever reported;
Whereas rape and other forms of gender-based violence are underreported, 
        especially during armed conflict;
Whereas Article 27 of the Geneva Convention (IV) relative to the Protection of 
        Civilian Persons in Time of War, done at Geneva August 12, 1949 
        (commonly referred to as the ``Fourth Geneva Convention''), recognizes 
        rape as a war crime in conflict settings;
Whereas sexual violence is used in many conflict settings as a tool to 
        humiliate, control, oppress, and defeat women and the communities to 
        which they belong;
Whereas approximately 80 percent of hospitals and medical centers are not 
        operating in Sudan, resulting in unmet sexual and reproductive health 
        needs in addition to a lack of essential medicine and other health 
        services;
Whereas more than half of internally displaced persons in Sudan are women and 
        girls, and 88 percent of registered refugees fleeing the war are women 
        and children;
Whereas ethnic minorities in Sudan are at increased risk of gender-based 
        violence;
Whereas women and girls fleeing the war have experienced gender-based violence 
        in refugee camps and host communities;
Whereas countries neighboring Sudan and elsewhere have hosted Sudanese refugees 
        and worked to provide them with life-saving resources;
Whereas, on February 26, 2024, the United States appointed a Special Envoy for 
        Sudan to coordinate United States efforts to end the conflict in Sudan, 
        secure unhindered humanitarian access, and support the Sudanese people 
        as they seek to fulfill their aspirations for freedom, peace, and 
        justice;
Whereas there has been a more than 60 percent increase in the number of women 
        and girls requiring gender-based violence recovery services since the 
        start of the war;
Whereas humanitarian assistance, including gender-responsive assistance, has 
        been consistently blocked by warring factions from regions of Sudan 
        impacted by the conflict;
Whereas the Peace for Sudan Platform, which includes more than 49 women-led 
        peace, humanitarian, and civil society organizations, has advocated for 
        an end to the conflict and the protection of women and girls;
Whereas hundreds of women peace activists from Sudan have called for an end to 
        the conflict and for justice for victims of the conflict, including for 
        survivors of gender-based violence, including through forums such as the 
        United Nations Security Council, the Jeddah talks, and other 
        internationally brokered ceasefire talks;
Whereas, in August 2024, the United States hosted peace talks in Switzerland and 
        underscored the importance of the participation of women in conflict 
        resolution, but the talks concluded without direct contact between the 
        warring factions or a path forward to end the war;
Whereas, during the talks in Switzerland, the United States, Saudi Arabia, 
        Switzerland, the United Nations, the African Union, Egypt, and the 
        United Arab Emirates, calling themselves the ``Aligned for Advancing 
        Lifesaving and Peace in Sudan Group'', were able to secure commitments 
        from the warring parties to expand humanitarian routes, but restrictions 
        remain and ongoing hostilities continue to hinder access, including to 
        famine-affected people in North Darfur;
Whereas the United States and its partners and allies should continue to 
        advocate for an urgent end to the war that restores Sudan's path to 
        democracy, holds perpetrators of the conflict to account, and 
        prioritizes the leadership of Sudanese women;
Whereas it is the policy of the United States to promote the inclusion of women 
        in peace negotiations and to integrate gender considerations into the 
        formation of United States foreign policy; and
Whereas the Women, Peace, and Security Act of 2017 (Public Law 115-68) requires 
        training on the meaningful participation of women in conflict prevention 
        and resolution, and when women participate in conflict resolution and 
        peace negotiations, peace plans are 35 percent more likely to endure: 
        Now, therefore, be it
    Resolved, That the Senate--
            (1) recognizes that the women of Sudan are instrumental in 
        ensuring a democratic and peaceful Sudan and must be included 
        in negotiating and forming the future of their country;
            (2) commends the women of Sudan for their commitment to a 
        civilian-led, democratic government and their efforts to end 
        the war in Sudan;
            (3) reaffirms support for the inclusion and participation 
        of Sudanese women in all security-related discussions and peace 
        negotiations to ensure a gender-inclusive resolution to the war 
        in Sudan;
            (4) notes with concern the ongoing lack of education 
        available for girls in Sudan and the long-term impact lack of 
        education could have on the future of Sudan;
            (5) supports the empowerment of women's organizations 
        advocating for peace in Sudan and efforts by the United States 
        Special Envoy for Sudan, foreign governments, and multilateral 
        institutions to document human rights abuses, including gender-
        based violence;
            (6) urges additional resources for civil society 
        organizations in Sudan working to document human rights abuses, 
        including gender-based violence;
            (7) urges additional humanitarian assistance, including for 
        comprehensive gender-based violence prevention and response;
            (8) condemns the use of gender-based violence and rape as 
        weapons of war;
            (9) calls on all countries to support the prosecution of 
        actors involved in human rights abuses and violations, 
        including gender-based violence, and to support an end to the 
        culture of impunity in Sudan;
            (10) urges all parties involved in the conflict to allow 
        for increased levels of humanitarian assistance to reach 
        communities across Sudan through all possible modalities, 
        particularly in Darfur, and for all countries to support 
        increased levels of humanitarian assistance to Sudan, including 
        through local Sudanese nongovernmental organizations; and
            (11) urges the implementation of an immediate ceasefire in 
        Sudan by all parties and a commitment to include women from 
        Sudan's civil society in internationally brokered peace talks.
                                 <all>
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