Condemning the continued violence in Sudan and calling on the international community to unequivocally support diplomatic efforts to achieve a cessation of hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians and secure unfettered access for humanitarian aid.

Bill: 118-hres-982
Sponsor: full_name: Rep. McCaul, Michael T. [R-TX-10]
Introduced: 2024-01-29
Policy area: International Affairs
Latest action: action_date: 2024-01-29
text: Referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

Summaries:
action_date: 2024-01-29
action_desc: Introduced in House
text: <p>This resolution condemns the hostilities in Sudan since April 15, 2023, and calls on the warring parties to permanently cease hostilities, stop attacks on civilians, and allow for the delivery of humanitarian assistance.</p><p>The resolution also calls on (1) the President to name a Special Envoy for Sudan to coordinate U.S. policy and diplomatic efforts while working with international partners; and (2) the Department of State to develop a comprehensive sanctions strategy for Sudan, support efforts to end hostilities and protect civilians, and support the establishment of mechanisms of accountability.</p>

tv_txt: IV 118th CONGRESS 2d Session H. RES. 982 IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES January 29, 2024 Mr. McCaul (for himself, Mr. Meeks , Mr. James , Ms. Jacobs , Mrs. Kim of California , and Mr. Kildee ) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs RESOLUTION Condemning the continued violence in Sudan and calling on the international community to unequivocally support diplomatic efforts to achieve a cessation of hostilities, ensure the protection of civilians and secure unfettered access for humanitarian aid.

Whereas, on April 15, 2023, hostilities broke out in Sudan between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force formed from the Janjaweed militia that committed acts of genocide in Darfur since 2003, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which like the RSF has a history of committing atrocities both in Sudan’s civil wars and against pro-democracy protestors from 2019–2022; Whereas, according to United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres on April 17, 2023, just days following the outbreak of fighting, the humanitarian situation in Sudan was “already precarious and is now catastrophic”; Whereas, on April 23, 2023, the United States temporarily suspended operations at its embassy in Khartoum and evacuated embassy personnel from the country; Whereas the war has created the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 7 million people, including 3 million children, displaced since the war began, and over half of the Sudanese population needs humanitarian assistance; Whereas widespread rape and sexual violence is being used as a weapon of war, and over 4.2 million women and girls in Sudan are at risk for sexual violence according to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs; Whereas the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum’s Early Warning Project identified Sudan as one of the top ten countries at risk for new mass killings in its 2022–2023 report, and the Museum warned in June 2023 about the dire risk of genocide in Darfur; Whereas Secretary of State Antony Blinken issued an atrocities determination for Sudan on December 6, 2023, finding that the SAF and RSF have committed war crimes in Sudan, and that the RSF and allied militias have committed crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing; Whereas the United States and Saudi Arabia have engaged in multiple rounds of “emergency diplomacy” in Jeddah since May, during which the parties to the conflict have repeatedly made confidence-building, ceasefire and humanitarian commitments that parties immediately violated; Whereas the leadership in the SAF and RSF do not represent the people of Sudan, and there is no military solution to the political situation in Sudan; Whereas credible reports indicate that the United Arab Emirates is violating the existing UN arms embargo for Darfur; Now, therefore, be it:

That the House of Representatives— (1) condemns the hostilities in Sudan since April 15, 2023, the attacks on civilians, including systemic use of rape as a weapon of war, and the widespread destruction of civilian residences, businesses, and infrastructure; (2) stands with the people of Sudan in their calls for peace and their democratic aspirations; (3) calls for the RSF and SAF to permanently cease hostilities, stop attacks on civilians and allow for their safe passage, and allow for the unfettered delivery of humanitarian assistance; (4) calls on the President to name an experienced, high level U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Sudan, that reports directly to the President or the Secretary of State, to coordinate U.S. policy and diplomatic efforts and to work with international partners to address the complex crisis in Sudan, including by establishing a more inclusive alternative to the Jeddah talks; (5) calls on the Secretary of State to— (A) continue to regularly review and update the atrocities determination for Sudan, to include whether atrocities committed constitute genocide; (B) deepen coordination with the Department of the Treasury to develop a comprehensive sanctions strategy for Sudan, including on the leadership in the RSF and SAF, and those actors involved in the supply of arms and materiel to belligerents; (C) continue to coordinate with the United States Permanent Representative to the United Nations to ensure the United Nations Security Council reports violations of the Darfur arms embargo, and works to prioritize efforts to protect civilians, and to pursue efforts to establish a credible mechanism for accountability for atrocities, including any that may constitute genocide, war crimes, or crimes against humanity; and (D) support enhanced end use monitoring of weapons sold by the United States to determine if U.S. defense articles, services, or any type of security sector assistance have been diverted to the SAF and RSF; (6) calls on the Secretary of State to work with regional actors and international partners, including the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, to— (A) support regional and international efforts to cease hostilities and explore options to protect civilians from mass atrocities; (B) empower Sudanese civilians to establish a path toward a peaceful and inclusive democratic transition; (C) support the establishment of credible mechanisms for accountability; (D) impose targeted sanctions on SAF and RSF members who are responsible for violations of international humanitarian law, corruption, and undermining Sudan’s transition to democracy, as well as actors who supply, or facilitate the supply, of arms and materiel to either party; and (E) suspend Sudan’s participation in all regional and multilateral organizations until a civilian-led government is established.