American Human Rights Activist To Visit Ethiopia, Sudan

Washington -- An American legislator who has championed human dignity and political freedom from Burma to El Salvador is taking on Africa, where countries such as Ethiopia and Sudan are trying to ride the wave of peace and democracy sweeping the continent.

Christopher Smith (Republican of New Jersey), chairman of the House of Representatives Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, spoke to the Washington File August 11 about his upcoming weeklong official trip to Africa.

The human-rights veteran said that, overall, he is optimistic about the political and economic future of Africa, but he counseled patience, noting that there is "no guarantee that [improvements] will come about quickly."

Smith said he plans to visit Ethiopia and Sudan August 14-20 to discuss human rights, conflict resolution and electoral issues with top government officials as well as nongovernmental organization and religious leaders.  He will also visit a clinic in Ethiopia that helps repair fistulas -- childbirth injuries in women that can lead to incontinence and severe stigma, which he said "can make them modern-day lepers."

The lawmaker made a mark at the beginning of his 25-year career in Congress pushing for greater religious freedom and an end to human-rights violations in the former Soviet Union and Eastern Europe.  Using his position as co-chairman of the Commission on Security and Cooperation in Europe (Helsinki Commission), Smith became an advocate for prominent Soviet Jewish dissidents like Natan Sharansky and worked for their release.

Now, as the new head of the House Africa subcommittee, Smith said the committee's portfolio has been expanded because "concern for human rights and Africa are a natural fit.  The people of Africa deserve a robust democracy.  They will benefit greatly -- maybe not right away, but certainly in the long run.  Adherence to democratic values will bring the prosperity shared by the rest of the world."

An important message for Africans, he said, is that "Americans care about the continent -- and our government will be there to help you deal with the political and development challenges you face."

At the same time, he said Americans "should be proud" that their country has responded quickly to emergencies like the need for food assistance in Niger, where the United States has provided the largest amount of relief aid.  So far this year, U.S. food aid to Niger has totaled $14.1 million.

"We are acting aggressively to aid Africa at all levels, but in some areas, like refugee assistance, Africa is being shortchanged," he said.

Smith said he and subcommittee Africa specialist Gregg Simpkins would first stop in Ethiopia, where Prime Minister Meles Zenawi retained power after elections last May, the results of which were hotly contested by the political opposition.  In Addis Ababa, Smith said, he plans to discuss electoral issues, "particularly growing frustration from voting rights violations that have the potential to cause wider social problems beyond the protests we've seen so far."

More than 35 people were killed by Ethiopian government forces in June while protesting the delay in official election results.  Smith said he plans to meet with electoral officials and ruling party and opposition party officials to discuss the "electoral stalemate" in Ethiopia.

The protection of women and children is a special concern of Smith's.  In Addis Ababa, he said, he will visit a center that performs fistula operations.  "Fistula is one of the leading killers of women in the developing world [about 8 percent of all childbirth-related deaths], and our center in Ethiopia is a model that we hope to use for other centers to help women who suffer needlessly from this terrible condition."

Smith recently inserted an amendment into the Foreign Relations Authorization Act for $12.5 million to fund fistula operations for women in Africa.

The congressman is also proud of the law he sponsored and Congress passed in 2000 called the "Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act," aimed at child abduction and international slavery.

In Sudan, which he will be visiting for the first time, Smith said, the practice of slavery unfortunately still continues.  "For some time, Sudan has been the epicenter of continued chattel slavery around the world.  We need to encourage and foster ways for the Sudanese government and people to work together to finally end this ancient evil," he declared.

After the establishment of the new Government of National Unity in Sudan on July 9 and the subsequent death of Sudan People's Liberation Movement leader and new First Vice President John Garang in a helicopter crash, Smith will be the first elected U.S. official to meet with President Omar Bashir when he makes his stop in Khartoum.

Despite Garang's death, "the people of Sudan must continue forward on the path toward peace and progress," Smith said.  "Vice President Garang spent much of his life working to secure a better future for them, and the only way forward is to ensure that his efforts to secure peace, stability, and justice in the region are continued."

Smith said he also plans to visit refugee camps in Darfur, where Sudanese government-supported militias have waged a campaign of ethnic cleansing.  "Even though the number of deaths in Darfur has fallen in recent months, the suffering of the refugees continues and effective planning must be in place to help these people recover their lives," he told the Washington File.

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