WASHINGTON – U.S. Senators Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), Chair and Ranking Member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with Senators Cory Booker (D-N.J.) and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), Chairman and Ranking Member of the Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, announced the introduction of a resolution condemning atrocities by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) and allied militia in the Darfur region of Sudan against non-Arab ethnic communities, including those that amount to genocide.
“The RSF and allied forces, under the leadership of Mohamed Hamdan ‘Hemedti’ Dagalo, have committed heinous atrocities in Darfur, including those the Secretary of State has called crimes against humanity, war crimes, and ethnic cleansing — some of which bear the hallmarks of genocide,” said Chair Cardin. “This tragic repeat of history must not go unpunished. Hemedti and those who support his forces must be held accountable. I urge African leaders to act swiftly at this week’s African Union Summit to condemn these crimes and to come to an agreement on establishing a means to protect civilians from further atrocities. I continue to call on the Biden Administration to name a High Level Special Envoy to lead U.S. efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Sudan and to find a diplomatic solution going forward. The world must wake up to what is happening in Sudan, and work together urgently to put an end to this tragedy.”
“For the last 10 months, the RSF have carried out unspeakable horrors in Sudan, including the elimination of non-Arab peoples in Darfur. Twenty years ago, the U.S. Congress was the first body to recognize the genocide in Darfur committed by the government of Sudan and its proxy Janjaweed militia. Tragically, history repeats itself and now we must do the same,” said Ranking Member Risch. “The United States must do all it can to bring an end to the conflict in Sudan and the genocide in Darfur. This includes holding the belligerents accountable and supporting the needs of the Sudanese people and their efforts to lead their country.
Since April 2023, the RSF have engaged in ruthless conflict with the Sudan Armed Forces to win control of the country. During this time, the RSF has waged a campaign to eliminate the non-Arab peoples, including the Masalit, Fur, and Zaghawa ethnic communities, in Darfur. This effort is hauntingly similar to the genocide in Darfur that began in 2003. On December 6, 2023, Secretary of State Blinken determined the RSF and allied militia had engaged in crimes against humanity and ethnic cleansing, and that both the RSF and SAF had committed war crimes since the start of the conflict.
Text of the resolution can be found here.
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