108TH CONGRESS
2D SESSION
H. CON. RES. 403
CONCURRENT RESOLUTION
Whereas, since early 2003, a conflict between forces of the
Government of the Republic of the Sudan, including mili-
tia forces backed by the Government, and rebel forces in
the impoverished Darfur region of western Sudan has re-
sulted in attacks by ground and air forces of the Govern-
ment of Sudan against innocent civilians and undefended
villages in the region;
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Whereas Sudanese Government forces and government sup-
ported militia forces have also engaged in the use of rape
as a weapon of war, the abduction of children, the de-
struction of food and water sources, and the deliberate
and systematic manipulation and denial of humanitarian
assistance for the people of the Darfur region;
Whereas, on December 18, 2003, United Nations Undersec-
retary General for Humanitarian Affairs Jan Egeland de-
clared that the Darfur region was probably ‘‘the world’s
worst humanitarian catastrophe’’, and in April 2004 re-
ported to the United Nations Security Council that in
Darfur, ‘‘a sequence of deliberate actions has been ob-
served that seem aimed at achieving a specific objective:
the forcible and long-term displacement of the targeted
communities which may also be termed ‘ethnic cleans-
ing’ ’’;
Whereas, on February 17, 2004, Amnesty International re-
ported that it ‘‘continues to receive details of horrifying
attacks against civilians in villages by government war-
planes, soldiers, and pro-government militia’’;
Whereas, on February 18, 2004, United Nations Special
Envoy for Humanitarian Affairs in Sudan Tom Eric
Vraalsen declared, following a trip to the Darfur region,
that ‘‘aid workers are unable to reach the vast majority
[of the displaced]’’;
Whereas Doctors Without Borders, the Nobel Peace Prize-
winning medical humanitarian relief organization and one
of the few aid groups on the ground in the Darfur region,
reported that the region is the scene of ‘‘catastrophic
mortality rates’’;
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Whereas, on April 20, the United Nations Office of the High
Commissioner for Human Rights delayed the release of
a report citing gross human rights abuses, crimes against
humanity, and war crimes committed in Darfur in a bid
to gain access to Sudan for investigators;
Whereas the Government of Sudan continues to deny human-
itarian assistance for the people of the Darfur region by
denying them unrestricted access to humanitarian aid or-
ganizations;
Whereas attacks on civilians in Darfur continue despite an
April 8, 2004, temporary cease-fire agreement;
Whereas nearly 3,000,000 people affected by the conflict in
the Darfur region have remained beyond the reach of aid
agencies trying to provide essential humanitarian assist-
ance, and United Nations aid agencies estimate that they
have been able to reach only 15 percent of people in need
and that more than 700,000 people have been displaced
within Sudan in the past year; and
Whereas the United States delegation to the 60th Session of
the United Nations Commission on Human Rights spon-
sored a resolution condemning the Government of Sudan
for grave violations of human rights and humanitarian
law occurring in the Darfur region: Now, therefore, be it
Resolved by the House of Representatives (the Senate
concurring), That Congress—
(1) strongly condemns the Government of the
Republic of the Sudan and militia groups supported
by the Government of Sudan for attacks against in-
nocent civilians in the impoverished Darfur region of
western Sudan, in violation of Article 3 of the Gene-
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va Conventions, done at Geneva August 12, 1949,
and entered into force October 21, 1950, which spe-
cifically prohibit attacks on civilians, and demands
that the Government of Sudan immediately take ac-
tions to cease these attacks;
(2) urges the Government of Sudan to imme-
diately disarm and disband government supported
militia groups;
(3) urges the Government of Sudan and all par-
ties to honor commitments made in the cease-fire
agreement of April 8, 2004;
(4) calls on the Government of Sudan to grant
full, unconditional, and immediate access to Darfur
to humanitarian aid organizations, the human rights
investigation and humanitarian teams of the United
Nations, including protection officers, and an inter-
national monitoring team in compliance with the
temporary cease-fire agreement that is based in
Darfur and has the support of the United States
and the European Union;
(5) encourages the Administrator of the United
States Agency for International Development to
work with donors to immediately deliver humani-
tarian assistance to Darfur, including the delivery of
food by air if necessary;
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(6) calls on the Secretary of State to develop a
plan for further bilateral and multilateral action in
the event the Government of Sudan fails to imme-
diately undertake the actions called for in paragraph
(3), including a plan to seek a Security Council reso-
lution addressing the Darfur situation;
(7) deplores the inaction of some member states
of the United Nations and the failure of the United
Nations Human Rights Commission to take strong
action with respect to the crisis in Darfur;
(8) urges the President to direct the United
States Representative to the United Nations to—
(A) seek an official investigation by the
United Nations to determine if crimes against
humanity have been committed by the Govern-
ment of Sudan and government-supported mili-
tia groups in the Darfur region; and
(B) work with the international community
to ensure that the individuals responsible for
crimes against humanity in Darfur are held ac-
countable for their actions; and
(9) strongly urges the President to impose tar-
geted sanctions, including a ban on travel to the
United States and freezing of personal assets,
against officials and other individuals of the Govern-
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ment of Sudan, as well as Janjaweed militia com-
manders, who are responsible for war crimes and
crimes against humanity in the Darfur region.
Passed the House of Representatives May 17, 2004.
Attest:
Clerk.