Mr. Speaker, I rise today in support and as a co-sponsor of H.R. 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2006.

Since February 2003, the Sudanese government – through its proxy, the Janjaweed Arab militia – has carried out a campaign to loot and burn African villages in the Darfur region of western Sudan.  Hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, and over 2 million people have been displaced.  This systematic pattern of attacks against civilians includes arbitrary killings, abductions, looting, torture, and rape, and such attacks are supported by air and land strikes by Sudanese government forces.  Congress declared in the summer of 2004 that genocide was occurring in Darfur, and the Administration followed suit in the fall of 2004.

This bill strengthens the Sudan Peace Act of 2004 by expanding sanctions, authorizing funding for humanitarian and peacekeeping efforts, and by taking additional steps to bring international attention to this conflict.

First, this bill specifically targets individuals in the government as opposed to punishing the coalition government as a whole.  It holds Sudanese government officials and Janjaweed officers accountable for genocidal acts.  The bill also targets oil revenues of the Sudanese government by denying access to U.S. ports to any ships involved in the Sudanese arms or oil industries.  It is important that we force those responsible for the violence to account for their actions and that we prevent the Sudanese government from continuing to profit while thousands are being killed.

Second, the bill increases humanitarian aid to southern Sudan and other marginalized areas, which are currently under the control of the Sudanese government and thus sanctioned.  With this provision, our aid will more efficiently reach those in need, even if they live under the coalition government.  In this way, we can hope to protect those who have lost their homes and their livelihoods to the violence of the region.

Third, the bill reinforces the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) in order to protect civilians and carry out humanitarian operations.  Currently, the African Union Mission in Sudan consists of only a few thousand troops, and AMIS will require a significant number of supplies and additional troops to effectively carry out its mission.  The United Nations Security Council should also consider authorizing a separate, more robust peacekeeping force under UN auspices.

I was pleased that the House appropriated $500 million last month in emergency assistance to southern Sudan and Darfur.  I urge the House to adopt this legislation today, which takes important steps to stop the ongoing genocide in Darfur.