HJ0056 94TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HJ0056 LRB094 12273 HSS 46035 r

HOUSE JOINT RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, More than two years into the crisis, the western Sudanese region of Darfur is acknowledged to be a humanitarian and human rights tragedy of the first order; as many as 10,000 people - overwhelmingly civilians - are dying every month; a total of 370,000 people have died in the conflict; and

WHEREAS, The humanitarian, security, and political situations continue to deteriorate; atrocity crimes are continuing; people are still dying in large numbers of malnutrition and disease; and a new famine is feared; the international community is failing to protect civilians or to influence the Sudanese government to do so; and

WHEREAS, The UN Commission of Inquiry on Darfur described the massive scope of atrocities carried out in the territory, primarily by the government and its allied Janjaweed militias, and the situation on the ground shows a number of negative trends, which have been developing since the last quarter of 2004: deteriorating security, including the targeting of humanitarian workers; a credible threat of famine; mounting civilian casualties; the cease-fire in shambles; the negotiation process at a standstill; the rebel movements beginning to splinter; and new armed movements appearing in Darfur and neighboring states; chaos and a culture of impunity are taking root in the region; and

WHEREAS, At the end of March 2005, the UN Security Council passed three resolutions on various aspects of the Sudan crisis, establishing the UN Mission in Sudan (UNMIS), extending the arms embargo in Darfur to include the government, and referring the situation in Darfur to the International Criminal Court; despite these resolutions, the situation in Sudan remains grave and even stronger measures are needed to restore security and prevent further mass deaths; more effective measures are also needed to preserve and implement the peace deal that was signed on January 9, 2005, to end the long war between the government and the Sudan People's Liberation Army/Movement (SPLM); proactive measures are still needed to forestall the outbreak of a serious new civil conflict in the eastern part of the country; and

WHEREAS, To this end, key international organizations and concerned governments should urgently agree and coordinate at a high level on what is necessary, without regard to institutional prerogatives or national prestige; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-FOURTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, THE SENATE CONCURRING HEREIN, that we urge President George W. Bush and United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to recognize the conflict in the Darfur region of the Sudan as genocide and to intervene; and be it further

RESOLVED, That we urge President Bush to send humanitarian aid to the Sudan; and be it further

RESOLVED, That copies of this resolution be presented to President George W. Bush and to United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan.