WASHINGTON, DC – Today, the U.S. House of Representatives passed an amendment to provide an additional $50 million to support the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). The amendment was offered as part of the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations bill.
Congresswoman Lowey voted in favor of the provision and gave the following floor statement on the amendment:
“Mr. Chairman, I rise in support of the Capuano amendment. More than a year and half ago the House and Senate voted unanimously to condemn the genocide in Darfur. And yet, every day, more people die and the slow genocide persists unabated.
“It is beyond imagination that the collective might and concerted will of the nations of the world cannot find a way to end this daily toll of human misery. Mr. Chairman, I hope and pray that Sudan will allow the UN peacekeeping mission to move forward so that we can end this devastation. While we wait, however, we must find ways to make the African Union mission more effective.
“I would note to my colleagues that the problem in Sudan has not generally been a lack of resources. With bipartisan support, and often under Democratic initiative, Congress has provided over $1.3 billion in assistance for Darfur and southern Sudan since 2000. This assistance has been and continues to be needed, and we are committed to providing it.
“The primary problem, in my opinion, has been a lack of political will from the government of Sudan, from the international community, and, to a certain extent, from the United States. Until we address these issues of political will, I am afraid we will be forced to rely on solutions that treat the symptoms without curing the disease.
“I support this amendment because it seeks to make a bad situation better. I thank the gentleman for offering it, and I also want to acknowledge the leadership of members of the Foreign Operations Subcommittee, specifically Representatives Jackson and Kilpatrick and Chairman Kolbe, who have worked diligently to bring attention and focus to the situation in Darfur.”
