U.S. Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX) and Young Kim (R-CA) on Monday introduced a bipartisan resolution condemning the violence in Sudan and calling for the appointment of a U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for the north African country.
“The war in Sudan has created a heart-breaking humanitarian crisis, with more than seven million people displaced, including three million children,” the lawmakers and their colleagues said in a joint statement. “There are reports of widespread rape and sexual violence, as well as war crimes, crimes against humanity, and ethnic cleansing.”
Hostilities broke out in Sudan in April 2023 between the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), a paramilitary force formed from the Janjaweed militia that has committed acts of genocide in Darfur since 2003, and the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), which also has a history of committing atrocities both in Sudan’s civil wars and against prodemocracy protestors from 2019-2022, according to House Resolution (H.Res.) 982.
Rep. McCaul, Chairman of U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, sponsored the resolution alongside five original cosponsors, including Rep. Kim and U.S. Rep. Gregory Meeks (D-NY), the committee’s ranking member, to condemn the hostilities in Sudan since April 15, 2023, the attacks on civilians, including systemic use of rape as a weapon of war, and the widespread destruction of civilian residences, businesses, and infrastructure, according to the text of the resolution.
H.Res. 982 also states that members stand with the people of Sudan in their calls for peace and their democratic aspirations, and calls for the RSF and SAF to permanently cease hostilities, stop attacks on civilians and allow for their safe passage, and allow for the unfettered delivery of humanitarian assistance.
The resolution also urges the President of the United States to name an experienced, high-level U.S. Special Presidential Envoy for Sudan who reports directly to the president or the U.S. Secretary of State to coordinate U.S. policy and diplomatic efforts and to work with international partners to address the complex crisis in Sudan.
“We want the world to know that the United States Congress stands together in our outrage at and condemnation of the actions by both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces, as well as their enablers,” according to the lawmakers’ statement. “The United States must use all of its diplomatic might to pressure both sides to cease this war and hand over power to the people of Sudan.”
H.Res. 982 has been referred to the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee for consideration.