Senate Urges Peace in Sudan

On March 2, the Senate approved, by unanimous consent, a resolution (S. Res. 388) urging the Government of the National Unity of Sudan and the Government of Southern Sudan to fully implement the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that was signed on January 9, 2005.

Sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN), the resolution contains a number of findings, including:

• More than 2 million people died and more than 4 million people were internally displaced or became refugees as a direct or indirect result of the civil war in Sudan;
• The overall pace of implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement has been slow and insufficient, and the recommendations of many of the commissions established under the agreement have yet to be implemented;
• Millions of people across Sudan continue to suffer from the effects of war, including displacement and war-related disease, hunger, and malnutrition; and
• The people of Southern Sudan are in desperate need of reconstruction assistance to build and improve vital infrastructure components, such as an education system, a health care system, and a transportation system, that are nearly nonexistent in Southern Sudan.Sen. Frist said that implementing the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) could “serve as a basis for a peacefully negotiated end to the genocide in Darfur. For this reason, it is even more vital for the full and complete implementation of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement. Until that time, the United States should continue to apply pressure on the Government of National Unity in Khartoum to fully implement the CPA. This includes maintaining the sanctions that are currently in place. In addition, we need to continue to expand our humanitarian and reconstruction assistance to the people of Southern Sudan. Delivering to them the real benefits of peace will strengthen their support of the CPA and for a united Sudan.”