A Call for United States Action in Darfur

The House will finally vote today on the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (H.R. 3127), over a year after its first introduction.

This action comes after a meeting by the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa last week and remarks by President Bush to the United Nations demanding a bolder, swifter response to the growing crisis.

It is time for Congress and the White House to turn its calls to action into United States leadership in resolving the conflict in Darfur.

The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act authorizes the president to provide assistance to reinforce the deployment and operations of an expanded African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS). It also instructs the president to urge the UN Security Council to support the expansion of AMIS, reinforce peace efforts, impose sanctions on Sudan, and call on UN member states to end military assistance to Sudan.

The House will vote on two resolutions that call on President Bush to fulfill his promise to increase the United States’ commitment to restoring peace to Darfur. House Resolution 723 urges the president to “take immediate steps to help improve the security situation in Darfur, Sudan, with a specific emphasis on civilian protection.” House Resolution 992 advocates for the president to immediately appoint a Presidential Special Envoy for Sudan.

The Center for American Progress, alongside many other organizations in the U.S. and abroad, have long called for more direct involvement from President Bush in efforts to end the genocide in Darfur. Congress should be applauded for the actions it is finally taking today; we can only hope that President Bush will follow.

For more information, see:

• Darfur Needs the United States
• The Genocide Intervention Network
• The International Crisis Group