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US Congressional Action Alert
Crisis in Darfur, Sudan
June 23, 2024
Since erupting in February 2003, the conflict in Darfur, Sudan,
has claimed more than 30,000 lives. History risks repeating itself:
This man-made humanitarian catastrophe could become as deadly as
the 1994 Rwandan genocide. In fact, the US Committee on Conscience,
based at the Holocaust Museum, has posted genocide alert for Darfur.
Starvation and disease compound the crisis and could claim more
than 300,000 lives in the next nine months. Without a rapid international
response, the situation will worsen.
Though many organizations report on “looting and raping” in
Darfur, not enough attention is directed at the systematic sexual
abuse of Sudanese women. Rape is a strategy used to humiliate and
eradicate a people—not something that spontaneously emerges
from the chaos of war. Advancing international law, prosecutors
in other conflict areas have demonstrated that systematic rape
is a component indicator of genocide. The International Criminal
Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) recognized sexual violence—against
women and men—as a war crime. Judges at the International
Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda (ICTR) ruled in the landmark Akayesu
case that rape constituted not only a crime against humanity but
also genocide.
| ACTION: In addition to addressing rape charges, policymakers must
ensure that their decisions reflect international law and employ
a more sophisticated understanding of how rape as is used during
conflict. |
Last week, in honor of World Refugee Day, Secretary of State Colin
Powell highlighted the need to address the devastation in Darfur.
(For the full speech, please refer to http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/33620.htm.)
As a member of the international community and the UN Security
Council, the United States must pressure the Khartoum government
to provide immediate access for humanitarian aid operations.
| ACTION: The majority of internally displaced people in Sudan are
women; to fully alleviate the threat of famine and widespread disease,
it is necessary to design gender-sensitive approaches to humanitarian
aid distribution. Policymakers need to include Sudanese women in
the design and implementation of aid programs in refugee camps. |
In addition to providing aid, the international community should
implement robust measures to resolve the conflict. Building on
the momentum of the May 2004 peace accord, the international community
should set into motion a negotiating process to resolve underlying
political problems, reverse the ethnic cleansing in Darfur, and
build sustainable peace.
| ACTION: Policymakers must ensure that women participate in the
negotiation process. Lessons from other post-conflict societies
demonstrate that women act as major agents of reconstruction and
rebuilding in their countries, even if not formally recognized
for their contributions. It is imperative that women’s concerns
be represented during the negotiations, to ensure that their needs
are addressed in reconstruction efforts. |
We urge you and your representative to contact the following
people to advocate for immediate action by the US government to
ensure
that women’s needs and interests are considered in the Darfur
crisis:
Charles Snyder
Assistant Secretary
Bureau of African Affairs
US Department of State
Ambassador Michael Ranneberger
Special Envoy to Sudan
US Department of State
Roger Winter
Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
US Agency for International Development
Leonard Rogers
Deputy Assistant Administrator
Bureau for Democracy, Conflict, and Humanitarian Assistance
US Agency for International Development
John Marks
Coordinator, Sudan Task Force
US Agency for International Development
Kevin Kennedy
Acting Resident Humanitarian Coordinator for Sudan
United Nations
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