118 HRES 585 IH: Condemning the conflict in Sudan and supporting the people of Sudan, and for other purposes.
U.S. House of Representatives
2023-07-13
text/xml
EN
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IV
118th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. RES. 585
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
July 13, 2023
Mrs. Kim of California (for herself, Mr. Kildee, Ms. Jacobs, Mr. Bilirakis, Mr. James, Ms. Kamlager-Dove, Mr. Castro of Texas, Mr. Lawler, Ms. Omar, Mr. Bera, Mr. Baird, Mr. Kean of New Jersey, and Mr. Allred) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs, and in addition to the Committees on the Judiciary, and Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned
RESOLUTION
Condemning the conflict in Sudan and supporting the people of Sudan, and for other purposes.
Whereas, on November 17, 1958, Lieutenant General Ibrahim Abboud of Sudan led the country’s first coup after independence, and the first successful coup in post-independence Africa;
Whereas there have been more than 200 coup attempts across Africa since the 1958 coup in Sudan, including successful coups in Sudan in 1969, 1985, 1989, 2019, and 2021;
Whereas, in 1989, then Brigadier General Omar al Bashir of Sudan came to power in a military coup;
Whereas, in 2019, the Sudanese people bravely stood up for democracy and the right to choose their own future, and after months of staging protests, President Omar al Bashir was overthrown by his own security chiefs, who established a Transitional Military Council led by Lieutenant General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan of the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo (also known as “Hemedti”) of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF);
Whereas, on June 3, 2019, after civilians formed a sit-in in front of the military headquarters to demand that these generals, who had seized power from Bashir under the guise of protecting the revolution, hand power to a civilian government, the Transitional Military Council ordered security forces to disperse the protesters by force, resulting in the deaths of over 100 civilians;
Whereas, on August 17, 2019—
(1)
the Transitional Military Council, under domestic and international pressure, signed a constitutional document with the prodemocracy Forces for Freedom and Change (FFC), a broad coalition of political parties and civic groups representing the protest movement that had pushed for the end of the Bashir regime and a transition to democracy under civilian rule; and
(2)
a transitional government was formed that allowed the military junta leaders to remain in government in a partnership with new civilian authorities nominated by the FFC, including Prime Minister Abdallah Hamdok acting as head of government, for a civilian-led transitional period to a democracy under civilian rule;
Whereas, on October 25, 2021, Lieutenant General Burhan, with the support of Hemedti seized control of the civilian-led transitional Government of Sudan through a coup, deployed the military to the streets of Khartoum and Omdurman, shut down the internet in Sudan, and detained Prime Minister Hamdok and civilian officials;
Whereas the Sudanese people condemned the coup and launched a campaign of peaceful civil disobedience, continuing the protests for democracy that began in late 2018, and reflecting a historic tradition of non-violent protests led by previous generations in Sudan against previous military regime;
Whereas, in response to public calls for a transition to democracy under civilian rule after October 25, 2021, Sudanese security forces arbitrarily detained civilians and used excessive and lethal force against peaceful protesters that resulted in civilian deaths across the country;
Whereas the African Union Peace and Security Council condemned the coup, rejected the unconstitutional change of government, and on October 27, 2021, suspended Sudan from the Council until the civilian-led transitional government is restored;
Whereas the United States condemned the coup and called for the full and immediate restoration of the transition to a democratic government under civilian rule;
Whereas, on November 21, 2021, military leaders announced an agreement to reinstate Abdalla Hamdok as Prime Minister of Sudan, but Hamdok resigned in January after he was unable to constitute a civilian-led transition government;
Whereas, on December 5, 2022, the Sudanese military announced a transition framework with a group of FFC leaders and some other Sudanese civilian leaders, and in such agreement promised to relinquish control of the government to civilian leaders;
Whereas, in March 2023, the signatories of the Framework Political Agreement announced that they would sign a final agreement to return the Sudanese Government to civilian rule on April 1, 2023, and form a new transitional government, but the April 1 deadline passed without agreement as security sector reform negotiations stalled as the timeline and manner for integrating the RSF into the SAF raised tensions between the security forces;
Whereas, on Saturday, April 15, 2023, fighting broke out in Sudan between the SAF under the leadership of General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan and the paramilitary RSF under the leadership of General Mohamed Hamdan Dagalo and has escalated into a deadly nationwide conflict;
Whereas this conflict has spread from the Sudanese capital of Khartoum to the Darfur region and other parts of Sudan, leading to thousands of civilians killed and injured, and a massive displacement and humanitarian crisis in East Africa;
Whereas this conflict has severely disrupted the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the people of Sudan, where one-third of all people, nearly 16,000,000, required humanitarian assistance prior to the conflict and 24,700,000, half of the population, are now in need of humanitarian assistance;
Whereas more than 2,700,000 people have been displaced since the conflict began, including over 2,100,000 people displaced internally and over 400,000 who have crossed into neighboring countries including Chad, Egypt, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic;
Whereas, during this conflict, combatants have used explosive weapons in populated areas, including tanks, artillery, rockets, and air-delivered munitions, that frequently result in indiscriminate attacks in violation of international humanitarian law;
Whereas there have been horrifying documented accounts of sexual violence perpetrated by armed men during the conflict, most of which have been attributed to members of the paramilitary RSF;
Whereas combatants have attacked humanitarian premises and health facilities, and looted humanitarian supplies, including at least 17,000 metric tons of food aid;
Whereas, according to the World Food Programme, the number of individuals acutely food insecure is expected to rise to 19,000,000;
Whereas tens of thousands of those displaced by the conflict are women and girls facing distinct risks, and of the more than 1,100,000 Sudanese women estimated to be pregnant, 29,000 are expected to give birth in the next month and will need maternal and newborn health services, and at least 4,300 are believed to be in need of emergency obstetric care and at risk of death, according to the United Nations Population Fund;
Whereas there have been documented reports of grave violations against children, including killing and maiming, recruitment of children into armed groups and armed forces, and sexual violence and exploitation perpetrated against children;
Whereas, on April 18, 2023, Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced that an American diplomatic convoy was attacked, but no one was harmed;
Whereas, on April 23, 2023, the United States suspended operations at its embassy in Sudan and evacuated embassy personnel from the country;
Whereas, on April 23, 2023, the United States Agency for International Development activated a Disaster Assistance Response Team in a direct effort to support the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people;
Whereas the fighting has continued despite the multiple cease-fire announcements, and the warring parties have failed to adhere to a Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan signed by the warring parties on May 11, 2023, that was mediated by the United States and Saudi Arabia;
Whereas prodemocracy neighborhood Resistance Committees, medical and professional organizations, and other civic volunteers in Sudan are helping to facilitate the humanitarian response to the crisis and providing vital assistance to civilians caught in the fighting;
Whereas, 20 years after the start of the genocide in Darfur, there has not been meaningful accountability for atrocities committed, and there are disturbing reports of agitators in the conflict trying to mobilize communities in Darfur and elsewhere in Sudan along ethnic lines;
Whereas, on June 14, 2023, Khamis Abdallah Abbakar, the Governor of West Darfur, was found tortured and killed after he publicly described the RSF’s actions in Darfur as “genocide”;
Whereas the United Nations has said that “compelling eyewitness accounts attribute” Khamis Abdallah Abbakar’s killing to “Arab militias and the RSF”;
Whereas the Sudanese people have continued to call for an end to this conflict and demand transition to a democratic government under civilian rule;
Whereas, on May 4, 2023, President Biden announced that it “is policy of the United States to support a transition to democracy and civilian transitional government in Sudan, to defend such a transitional government from those who would prevent its initial formation through violence and other methods, and, once formed, to protect it from those who would undermine it”; and
Whereas, on June 1, 2023, the Biden administration announced new economic sanctions and visa restrictions against actors perpetuating the violence in Sudan to “hold accountable those responsible for undermining the peace, security, and stability of Sudan”, reiterating that the United States will continue to support the Sudanese people’s “rightful demand for a transition to democracy”: Now, therefore, be it
That the House of Representatives—
(1)
calls on all combatants in the conflict to agree to an immediate cease-fire;
(2)
calls on all combatants to immediately adhere to new and previously signed cease-fire agreements;
(3)
condemns the outbreak of armed conflict and departure from the transition to a democratic government under civilian rule;
(4)
urges the SAF and RSF to adhere to the Declaration of Commitment to Protect the Civilians of Sudan;
(5)
condemns attacks against civilians and diplomatic personnel, attacks on civilian objects, including schools and hospitals, sexual violence, and other grave human rights abuses;
(6)
recognizes efforts by the United States, Saudi Arabia, and other international actors to facilitate a cease-fire, and calls for greater participation by Sudanese civil society actors in current and future negotiations;
(7)
recognizes efforts by the African Union to seek a resolution of the conflict in Sudan;
(8)
calls on the concerned regional and international parties to unify their efforts to secure a cease-fire, establish a monitoring mechanism with civilian participation, improve humanitarian access and scale up assistance, and secure more-inclusive negotiations aimed at forming a democratic government under civilian rule in Sudan;
(9)
calls on the President, the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and other Federal Government agencies to urgently resource and scale up the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Sudan and the region commensurate with the growing level of need and take steps to coordinate with local and international humanitarian actors, nonprofits, and medical professionals to respond to the crisis;
(10)
calls on the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to ensure that humanitarian response and recovery efforts directly support local actors in Sudan to ensure maximum impact and sustainability of these efforts, and ensure that humanitarian aid does not fall into the hands of combatants;
(11)
calls upon the Secretary of State and the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development to prioritize the needs of children affected by the conflict, including those within Sudan and those who have fled across borders, by providing protection services, education in emergencies and continued learning opportunities, and critical mental health and psychosocial support services for children and their family members;
(12)
calls on neighboring countries to Sudan to provide refuge to those seeking safety from the conflict, to facilitate the delivery of humanitarian aid across borders, and to refrain from refoulement of displaced Sudanese back to Sudan;
(13)
affirms its commitment to supporting a transition to civilian rule and a democratically elected government in Sudan;
(14)
calls on the President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of the Treasury to use their authority under Executive Order 14098 of May 4, 2023, to issue sanctions against persons and additional entities whose actions threaten the peace, security, or stability of Sudan, obstruct, undermine, delay, or impede Sudan’s transition to democracy, and those who have committed serious human rights violations in Sudan, including those determined to have command responsibility for forces that commit gross human rights abuses, and elements associated with the former Islamist regime who have undermined the democratic transition, manipulated the conflict, and threatened civilians and United Nations officials;
(15)
calls on the President, the Secretary of State, and the Secretary of the Treasury to ensure that sanctions include comprehensive safeguards to protect humanitarian activities, provision of basic services and peacebuilding activities as delivered by humanitarian actors, including United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations, and to take steps to mitigate financial sector derisking as a result of Executive Order 14098;
(16)
calls on the President and the Secretary of State to develop a strategy to ensure meaningful civilian engagement in all aspects of negotiations to end the conflict, facilitate humanitarian assistance, and facilitate a new democratic government under civilian rule;
(17)
calls on the President, the Secretary of State, the Administrator of the United States Agency for International Development, and the United States Ambassador to the United Nations to ensure that resources are provided for the monitoring and documentation of violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law during the conflict to ensure future accountability;
(18)
recognizes the brave efforts by prodemocracy neighborhood Resistance Committees, medical and professional organizations in Sudan to respond to the growing humanitarian crisis and assist communities in need;
(19)
recognizes the United States armed forces, allied armed forces, and private organizations who have worked to safely evacuate United States embassy personnel and citizens from Sudan;
(20)
acknowledges that a sustainable political resolution to the crisis in Sudan requires a process led by Sudanese civilians and United States leadership to coordinate the efforts of regional actors; and
(21)
calls on the President to appoint a Presidential Special Envoy to Sudan to ensure direct, sustained and high-level diplomatic engagement with international and regional actors, to respond to the conflict, improve interagency coordination of United States-Sudan policy implementation, and to facilitate the establishment of a democracy under civilian rule.