House Unanimously Passes Measure

WASHINGTON – U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin voted for passage of the Darfur Peace & Accountability Act, H.R. 3127, “to help bring about the end of genocide in Darfur and provide millions of Sudanese citizens with the assistance they need to survive.” The bill is expected to be signed by the President soon.

The Congressman, a co-sponsor of the measure, had repeatedly called for the United States to take much more aggressive action to bring an end to the violence.  Since 2003, systematic attacks carried out by the Janjaweed militia, with the support of the Sudanese government, has left hundreds of thousands of people dead and more than 2 million please displaced.

“The United States has a moral obligation to work with the international community to bring an end to the murders and violence in Darfur.   This measure provides much needed resources to help alleviate the suffering and it also provides a mechanism for holding those responsible for the genocide accountable,” said Rep. Cardin, senior Democrat on the U.S. Helsinki Commission.  The Congressman has long supported holding hold war criminals in the former Yugoslavia accountable and to bring them to justice in an international tribunal.

H.R. 3127 strengthens sanctions on individuals and governments seen responsible for the atrocities in Darfur.  It also authorizes additional funds for peacekeeping and humanitarian aid.  In addition, it authorizes the President to provide assistance to an expanded African Union Mission in Sudan – with the assistance of the United Nations,\ European Union and NATO – that will have the size, strength and capability to protect civilians, assist humanitarian efforts and stabilize the Darfur region.  Rep. Cardin has urged the United States to increase pressure on Sudan to accept the new U.N.-authorized force and to establish a no-fly zone in Darfur to protect civilians.

Additional provisions include:

•   The denial of access to oil revenues by the Sudanese government;
•   Restrictions on travel of any individuals whom the President has determined responsible for acts of genocide or other war crimes;
•   Support for efforts of the African Union to negotiate peace talks between the different armed groups; and
•   A call on the U.N. Security Council to extend the military embargo to include a total prohibition on the sale or supply of offensive military equipment to the Sudanese government.

In August, Rep. Cardin received a grade of “A” from the Genocide Intervention Network for his strong support of aggressive action to stop the violence in Darfur.

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