Thank you, Mr. Speaker.  As a member of the Congressional Human Rights Caucus, I again rise today in outrage regarding the current genocide in Sudan.

The Darfur region of Sudan has been riddled with violence since February 2003, when rebels began fighting the Sudanese government.  The rebels accuse the government of arming the Arab Janjaweed militia, which has destroyed and pillaged non-Arab villages.  Since this rebellion, as many as 50,000 men, women, and children have died due to violence, starvation, or disease, and more than 1.5 million Sudanese are now homeless.  Sadly, despite repeated calls from the international community, the Sudanese government has not reined in the militia groups, and the killing continues.  The World Health Organization now estimates that between 6,000 and 10,000 are dying every month from violence and disease. 

This Congress has repeatedly condemned both the atrocities committed by the Janjaweed militia and the Sudanese government’s insufficient response to such horrendous acts, including last month’s passage of S. Con. Res. 137, which calls for the suspension of Sudan's membership on the United Nations Commission on Human Rights.  Previously, the House passed resolutions:

• condemning the Government of the Sudan for its attacks against innocent civilians in the impoverished Darfur region;
• declaring genocide in Darfur; and
• regarding the importance of international efforts to abolish slavery and other human rights abuses in the Sudan.

I was pleased that the U.N. Security Council adopted a resolution establishing an inquiry into the violence in the Darfur region to verify that genocide is occurring.  The resolution also threatens sanctions against Sudan, a tool we must seriously consider if we do not witness rapid improvements. 

Despite the fact that the U.S. government has declared genocide in Darfur, and two top U.N. human rights watchdogs recently told the council that war crimes had occurred on "a large and systematic scale" there, the situation is not improving.  Yesterday, USAID predicted Darfur’s death toll could reach 300,000 by the year’s end. 

It is unfortunate that I must return to the floor to express my outrage and disappointment with the situation in Sudan.  For too long we have idly sat as the situation in Darfur worsens.  I urge President Bush and the international community to maintain a strong position to end the crisis before more lives are lost.  I hold high hopes that the mini-summit of Sudan’s neighbors scheduled for the middle of the month in Libya will bring both sides together to end the killings and find a peaceful solution.  Working together, the world community must protect those most in need and end the genocide in Sudan.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.