On May 18, the House International Relations Committee held a hearing on the prospects for peace in Darfur. On May 5, the government of Sudan and the Sudan Liberation Movement, the largest rebel group in Darfur, signed the Darfur Peace Agreement.
Rep. Christopher Smith (R-NJ), chair of the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, applauded the peace agreement but warned that “the real challenge lies in implementation.” He spoke of the people he met on his visit to Darfur last year “whose lives had been utterly devastated” and said that the refugees knew that “if they took one step out of that camp, the janjaweed [militia] was there…waiting to rape and to kill and to maul.” Rep. Smith said that the administration should work with our allies to promote the agreement and he urged Congress to “complete its reconciliation on the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act and provide the funding necessary for the AU [African Union] mission until the UN takes over.”
International Relations Committee Ranking Member Tom Lantos (D-CA), a holocaust survivor, condemned the Sudanese government and the janjaweed militia: “The Sudanese government and its notorious Arab militia, the janjaweed, have massacred hundreds of thousands of civilians, raped girls and women in a brutal intimidation campaign, displaced over 2 million people, burned 60 percent of their villages, destroyed their livestock, and poisoned their wells.” Rep. Lantos said that the resolution he introduced, H.R. 723, “calls on the president to take immediate steps to help improve the security situation in Darfur, Sudan, with a specific emphasis on civilian protection.”
Testifying for the State Department, Assistant Secretary for the Bureau of African Affairs Jendayi Frazer outlined the three elements of the May 5 peace agreement: security arrangements, political power sharing, and wealth sharing. Regarding security, Ms. Frazer stated that the May 16 UN Security Council resolution, introduced by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice at the direction of President Bush, will “pave the way” for the UN peacekeeping operation. Additionally, she said, the president has called on NATO to provide immediate support, such as logistics, planning, and communication, to the AU mission currently in Darfur.
Lloyd Pierson, U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) assistant administrator for Africa, summarized USAID efforts in Sudan. He stated, “USAID has been a leader in the humanitarian effort in Darfur and the rest of Sudan. In FY 2005, USAID oversaw obligations of nearly $467 million to Darfur—including $347 million in food aid, $108 million in other humanitarian assistance, and $11.6 million toward conflict resolution.” Mr. Pierson described USAID’s social and economic development programs for displaced people in Darfur’s camps, including an educational program for midwives and the Violence Against Women initiative: “As villages were razed and homes destroyed throughout Darfur, many women were forced to flee with only the clothes on their backs. As time passed, their clothes became worn and threadbare. Unaccustomed to such immodesty, many women and girls resorted to conducting their chores and daily activities during the evening hours, under the cover of darkness, when the risk of assault was at its greatest. USAID worked with a local organization to procure and distribute 76,000 traditional dresses throughout Darfur’s camps. These women and girls can now move around during the day without shame.”
During the question and answer period, Rep. Smith highlighted provisions in the Trafficking Victims Protection Act (P.L. 106-386) pertaining to peacekeeping forces and expressed his concern regarding a recent allegation by Refugees International “of reports of exploitation and abuse by AU peacekeepers.” Ms. Frazer said that she would look into the allegations and stated that the U.S. could assist by requiring accountability on the part of the AU, as well as the governments of forces participating in the AU mission. Training for the AU peacekeepers, she noted, should include “emphasis on the responsibility for peacekeepers to protect, not to exploit.”
Rep. Diane Watson (D-CA) referred to the trauma experienced by civilians in Darfur and proposed a CODEL (congressional delegation) to the region that would include psychologists in order to address mental health needs.
