E1234 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks August 2, 2013 Mr. Parker began his Chairmanship in 2000 which complement classroom learning. The Nov. 8, 2010, senior administration officials and has since worked diligently to protect and Humboldt State University faculty has estab- explicitly ‘decoupled’ Darfur from the larg- to promote conservative ideals and values in lished a strong reputation for excellence in est bilateral issue between Washington and Khartoum: the latter’s place on the U.S. list South Mississippi. He has proved to be not teaching and research. of state sponsors of terrorism.’’ only an outstanding Chairman, but also an A longstanding commitment to environ- While Reeves’ focus in the enclosed edi- asset in helping to grow the Republican Party. mental and social responsibility permeates the torial is on Darfur—that region is far from From local elections to the Governor’s race, Humboldt State University curriculum and being the only humanitarian and human Mr. Parker is well known throughout the State campus culture, which has enabled its alumni rights catastrophe in . Last year I vis- for his key involvement and noteworthy enthu- to make a difference wherever they live. ited Yida refugee camp in South Sudan. I heard harrowing stories from a growing ref- siasm. Mr. Speaker, I commend Humboldt State ugee population that had fled the Nuba Outside of his political work, Mr. Parker is University for its many academic achieve- Mountains, including indiscriminate aerial notorious within his community for his contin- ments and for the services it provides to many bombardments aimed at civilian popu- ued support of local charities and willingness students throughout the state and nation. I en- lations, the use of food as a weapon of war, to lend a hand to those in need. courage my colleagues and the North Coast people driven from their homes and targeted Mr. Parker is a true public servant and community to join me in celebrating the uni- for killing because of the color of their skin. versity’s centennial and in offering best wishes In short I heard echoes of my time spent in strong community leader dedicated to pro- Darfur as the first member of the House of viding a better future for our country. He has for its next 100 years. Representatives to visit in July 2004. been an invaluable part of the fabric of the f Last year I offered an amendment to the Jones County Republican Party, and his lead- State and Foreign Operations Appropriations ership will be truly missed. WHAT IS THIS ADMINISTRATION’S bill which would have cut non-humanitarian Mr. Parker, on behalf of the United States POLICY IN SUDAN? foreign assistance to any nation that allowed Congress, thank you for your hard work and Sudanese President Omar Bashir, an inter- nationally indicted war criminal, into their commitment as Chairman of the Jones County HON. FRANK R. WOLF country without arresting him. The amend- Republican Party. I wish you all the best in OF VIRGINIA ment was adopted with bipartisan support by your future endeavors. IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES voice vote. f Friday, August 2, 2013 The amendment I proposed would have ef- fectively isolated Bashir and made him an PERSONAL EXPLANATION Mr. WOLF. Mr. Speaker, I rise to submit a international pariah as is befitting a man letter I sent today to President Obama regard- with blood on his hands. It is noteworthy HON. RICHARD HUDSON ing Sudan as well as a copy of my Darfur trip that the amendment garnered the support of report which I issued in July 2004 after having 70 prominent Holocaust and genocide schol- OF NORTH CAROLINA ars. Dr. Rafael Medoff, director of the been a part of the first Congressional delega- IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Wyman Institute, which initiated a letter of tion to the region. Just months later then-Sec- support to the administration from these Friday, August 2, 2013 retary of State Colin Powell described what scholars, said: ‘‘Halting aid to those who Mr. HUDSON. Mr. Speaker, on rollcall No. was happening as genocide—a descriptor that host Bashir would be the first concrete step 430, I was unavoidably detained at a personal President Obama himself used as recently as the U.S. has taken to isolate the Butcher of doctor’s appointment. 2009. Darfur and pave the way for his arrest. If the And yet, the Sudan Special Envoy position Obama administration is serious about pun- Had I been present, I would have voted ishing perpetrators of genocide, it should ‘‘yes’’. remains vacant after nearly five months. Vio- support the Wolf Amendment.’’ f lence, displacement and atrocities continue in Sadly that support never materialized. In Darfur and the Nuba Mountains. And Suda- fact your administration actively sought to CELEBRATING HUMBOLDT STATE nese President Bashir continues to travel the remove this language from the final bill. UNIVERSITY’S CENTENNIAL YEAR globe with virtual impunity. Meanwhile, Bashir remains free to travel What is this administration’s policy in where he pleases, and the people of Sudan see Sudan? no end in sight to their suffering and U.S. HON. JARED HUFFMAN policy is in tatters. OF CALIFORNIA CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES, The FY 2014 State and Foreign Operations HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Appropriations bill, which just last week Washington, DC, August 2, 2013. passed out of the full committee, included Friday, August 2, 2013 Hon. BARACK H. OBAMA, language consistent with the amendment I Mr. HUFFMAN. Mr. Speaker, it gives me The President, The White House, Washington, offered last year. In seeking to isolate DC. great pleasure to recognize Humboldt State Bashir, our options are limited but far from DEAR MR. PRESIDENT: I have written you nonexistent. University’s Centennial Year. Founded in on more than one occasion about the per- Will your administration support this ef- 1913, Humboldt State University is the only sistent vacancy of the Sudan Special Envoy fort? Will Bashir be made to face some mod- state university in coastal Northern California post, which has been unfilled for nearly five icum of consequence for his actions? Will the and in my Congressional District. The univer- months. This is indefensible given the cur- special envoy position be filled before the sity has made major contributions to the intel- rent state of affairs in Sudan. fall? lectual life, culture and economy of the North I enclose for your reference a recent piece Professor Reeves’ piece featured this quote from you: ‘‘We can’t say ‘never again’ and Coast, California and the nation. that Sudan expert and advocate Professor Eric Reeves authored for the Washington then allow it to happen again, and as a presi- One hundred years ago, on June 16, 1913, Post. He paints a grim picture about the sit- dent of the United States, I don’t intend to North Coast citizens had the foresight to help uation in Darfur, lamenting that this geno- abandon people or turn a blind eye to slaugh- formally establish Humboldt State Normal cide, which once captured our collective na- ter.’’ I wish, and more importantly the suf- School and to pledge $12,000 and 12 acres of tional outrage, now seems to have dis- fering people of Sudan wish, we had seen an land to the school. Humboldt State University appeared from public view leaving us with ounce of that moral clarity and conviction formally opened on April 6, 1914, and has the misperception that the violence has sub- since you took office. Sudan has historically been a bipartisan issue. We may be from dif- since awarded more than 55,000 degrees to sided and the crisis resolved. Nothing could be further from the truth. ferent parties but I had thought, based on students from diverse economic and ethnic Reeves writes ‘‘. . . the slaughter has con- your campaign rhetoric, that this might be backgrounds. tinued in Darfur: Some 500,000 people have an area of common cause. Humboldt State University offers a broad died in the past 10 years from war-related Best wishes. array of academic programs and an out- causes. In 2009, as president, Obama again de- Sincerely, standing college experience for 8,000 students clared that ‘genocide’ was occurring in FRANK R. WOLF, each year, while contributing greatly to the re- Darfur, yet little followed from this.’’ He Member of Congress. continued, ‘‘But the people of Darfur have gional community. The annual economic im- [From ] pact of Humboldt State University is estimated been left defenseless largely because of an unforgivable lack of attention and leadership CIVILIANS IN SUDAN’S DARFUR REGION FACE to be $190 million on the North Coast and by the United States. The policies of WHOLESALE DESTRUCTION $400 million statewide. Obama’s administration have hardly (By Eric Reeves) Humboldt State University is widely known matched his rhetoric. Indeed, in a bizarre re- After years of obscurity and little reliable for the personal attention faculty provide to prise of policies for which Obama had sharp- international reporting, the vast human ca- students, and for the hands-on experiences ly criticized the Bush administration, on tastrophe in Sudan’s Darfur region is again

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:10 Aug 03, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00030 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A02AU8.077 E02AUPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS August 2, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1235 in the news. It was regularly making head- president, Obama again declared that ‘‘geno- We heard countless stories about rape, lines before 2008, when the then-five-year-old cide’’ was occurring in Darfur, yet little fol- murder and plunder. genocide in Darfur had claimed hundreds of lowed from this. To be sure, much has inter- We even watched the barbarous men—Arab thousands of African lives, but a lack of sus- vened in the years since Obama was elected, militiamen called Janjaweed—who are car- tained mainstream attention meant that the including the Arab Spring, the drawdown rying out these attacks sitting astride cam- surging violence fell off the radar. from Afghanistan, rising tensions with China els and horses just a short distance from Few could have predicted that this remote and a collapsing world economy. These where young and old have sought what they and obscure region in western Sudan would issues, which impinge more directly on U.S. had hoped would be a safe harbor. galvanize American civil society. Then interests and obligations than does Darfur, Janjaweed is roughly translated in Arabic again, how could the loss of attention have have consumed much of the administration’s as ‘‘wild men on horses with G–3 guns.’’ been so rapid? energies. Ruthless, brutal killers, the Janjaweed The United Nations recently estimated But the people of Darfur have been left de- have instigated a reign of terror on Darfur— that 300,000 Darfuris had been displaced in fenseless largely because of an unforgivable a region about the size of Texas—for more the first five months of this year; more than lack of attention and leadership by the than a year. They kill men. They rape 1 million civilians have been displaced since United States. The policies of Obama’s ad- women. They abduct children. They torch the fall of 2008. Human Rights Watch re- ministration have hardly matched his rhet- villages. They dump human corpses and ani- cently reported that ‘‘satellite images con- oric. Indeed, in a bizarre reprise of policies mal carcasses in wells to contaminate the firm the wholesale destruction of villages in for which Obama had sharply criticized the water. Their mandate is essentially doing Central Darfur in an attack in April.’’ The Bush administration, on Nov. 8, 2010, senior whatever necessary to force the black Afri- attacks were directed by Ali Kushayb, who administration officials explicitly ‘‘decou- can Muslims from their land to never return. was indicted in 2007 by the International pled’’ Darfur from the largest bilateral issue It is clearly the intent of Janjaweed to Criminal Court for crimes against humanity. between Washington and Khartoum: the purge the region of darker-skinned African Radio Dabanga—an extraordinary news latter’s place on the U.S. list of state spon- Muslims, in particular members of the Fur, network organized by Darfuris both dis- sors of terrorism. That marked a shift in at- Zaghawa, and Massaleit tribes. placed and still in the region—provides daily, tention to South Sudan and implementation From where does this mandate come? The highly detailed accounts of events in Darfur. of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement, Government of Sudan disavows supporting Although rarely cited by news organizations, but the signal sent to Khartoum was that the Janjaweed. Some officials in Khartoum which themselves have no access to Darfur, the regime could resume genocidal counter- even deny the existence of a humanitarian Radio Dabanga has long reported brutal as- insurgency warfare in Darfur. The campaign crisis in the region. Yet the facts prove oth- saults on camps for the displaced, chronic has been more chaotic than the early years erwise. We witnessed the destruction. We breakdowns in the vast humanitarian effort of the genocide (2003 to 2005) but no less de- heard horrific accounts of violence and in- in Darfur, an epidemic of rape and the appro- structive, and with the continuing collapse timidation. We talked to rape victims. We priation of African lands by Arab militias, of humanitarian efforts because of growing saw the scars on men who had been shot. We which ensures continued instability and dis- insecurity, civilian destruction could be watched mothers cradle their sick and dying placement. wholesale. babies, hoping against all odds that their It’s time to ‘‘re-couple’’ Darfur to all bilat- The ethnic animus in the assaults remains children would survive. We saw armed eral issues between Washington and Khar- clear, although in recent years, conflicts Janjaweed waiting to prey on innocent vic- toum. among Arab tribes have become increasingly tims along the perimeter of refugee camps. destructive. The regime in Khartoum, which CONGRESSMAN FRANK R WOLF DARFUR TRIP To hear the vivid, heartrending descrip- cannot defeat the Darfuri rebels militarily REPORT (JULY 2004) tions of the attacks it is clear the Janjaweed and chooses not to address their legitimate It was just 10 years ago—in 1994—when the have the support—and the approval—of the grievances, has resumed its scorched-earth world stood by and watched as more than Government of Sudan to operate with impu- campaign, using Arab and non-Arab militias 800,000 ethnic Tutsis were systematically nity. The same stories were repeated at against anyone thought to be providing sup- murdered in Rwanda by rival extremist every camp we visited. The raids would hap- port to the rebels. Central Darfur’s Jebel Hutus. pen early in the morning. First comes the Marra region has been the site of a three- When the killing finally ended after 100 low rumble of a Soviet-made Antonov year humanitarian blockade and endless aer- days—and the horrific images of what had plane—flown by Sudanese pilots—to bomb ial bombardment by Russian-built cargo taken place were broadcast around the the village. Next come helicopter gunships— planes that have been crudely retrofitted to globe—world leaders acknowledged it was again, flown by Sudanese pilots—to strafe drop shrapnel-loaded barrel-bombs. Useless genocide, apologized for failing to intervene, the village with the huge machine guns against military targets, these attacks have and vowed ‘‘never again.’’ mounted on each side. Sometimes the heli- That pledge from the international com- caused countless civilian casualties while copters would land and unload supplies for munity is being put to the test today in also destroying property and livestock the Janjaweed. They would then be reloaded western Sudan, where an estimated 30,000 among the region’s primarily non-Arab Fur with booty confiscated from a village. One black African Muslims have been murdered people. man told us he saw cows being loaded onto Although violence has ebbed and flowed and more than 1 million have been driven from their tribal lands and forced to live in one helicopter. Moments later, the over the past decade, it has accelerated Janjaweed, some clad in government uni- sharply in the past year. Yet until recently, one of 129 refugee camps scattered across the western provinces of Darfur. More than forms, would come galloping in on horseback news coverage has been paltry and often and camels to finish the job by killing, rap- deeply misleading. In February 2012, the New 160,000 have fled across the border to Chad. The United Nations Convention on the Pre- ing, stealing and plundering. York Times declared from western Darfur Walking through the burned out villages that ‘‘one of the world’s most infamous con- vention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide describes genocide as acts com- we could tell the people living there had lit- flicts may have decisively cooled,’’ citing tle or no time to react. They left everything ‘‘returns’’ by the displaced as evidence. In mitted with intent to destroy, in whole or in part, national, ethnic, racial or religious they owned—lanterns, cookware, water jugs, fact, half a million people had been displaced pottery, plows—and ran for their lives. There in the preceding two years and violence was groups, as such: Killing members of the group; was no time to stop and bury their dead. unrelenting. Last August, western North Causing serious bodily or mental harm to The Janjaweed made certain that there Darfur became another arena of violence members of the group; would be nothing left for the villagers to during a tribal-based land grab for the Jebel Deliberately inflicting on the group condi- come home to. Huts were torched. Donkeys, Amir gold mines. The major town of Kutum tions of life calculated to bring about phys- goats and cows were stolen, slaughtered or was overrun by Arab militias that looted hu- ical destruction in whole or in part; dumped into wells to poison the water. Grain manitarian resources. Nearby Kassab camp Imposing measures intended to prevent containers destroyed. In one village we saw was also overrun and emptied of some 30,000 births within the group; where the Janjaweed even burned the people within a day. Forcibly transferring children of the group mosque. As a senator in 2004, called to another group. Only the lucky ones—mostly women and the atrocities in Darfur ‘‘genocide.’’ He said After just returning from spending three children—made it out alive. so again as a presidential candidate in 2007 days and two nights (June 27–29) in Darfur, and chided the Bush administration for its we believe what is happening there may very ETHNIC CLEANSING accommodation of Khartoum. Invoking well meet this test. What is happening in Darfur is rooted in Rwanda and Bosnia as justification for hu- During our trip we visited five refugee ethnic cleansing. Religion has nothing to do manitarian intervention in Darfur, Obama camps: Abu Shouk; Tawilah; Krinding; Sisi with what unfolded over the last year. said, ‘‘We can’t say ‘never again’ and then and Morney—all sprawling tent cities jam- No black African is safe in Darfur. Secu- allow it to happen again, and as a president packed with thousands of displaced families rity is non-existent. The Janjaweed are ev- of the United States, I don’t intend to aban- and fast becoming breading grounds for dis- erywhere. Outside the camps. Inside the don people or turn a blind eye to slaughter.’’ ease and sickness. camps. They walk freely through the mar- But the slaughter has continued in Darfur: We drove past dozens of pillaged villages ketplace in Geneina, a town in far western Some 500,000 people have died in the past 10 and walked through what was left of four Darfur, with guns slung over their shoulders. years from war-related causes. In 2009, as burned to the ground. One shopkeeper, we were told, was shot in

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:10 Aug 03, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00031 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A02AU8.081 E02AUPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS E1236 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks August 2, 2013 the head by a Janjaweed because he wasn’t the coming months. Measles have already ficult. At Mornay, the largest of the IDP willing to lower the price of a watermelon. spread through Abu Shouck, a large refugee camps in Darfur with more than 70,000 inhab- The Government of Sudan military and se- camp outside of El Fasher. itants, it was hard not to step in either curity forces also are omnipresent. At each According to some predictions, the death human or animal feces as we walked. In a of the places we visited we were either toll could reach as high as 1 million by next few weeks, when the heavy rains begin, ex- trailed or escorted by a mixture of military year. The Dafuri farmers have missed an- crement will flow across the entire camp. regulars, police forces and government other planting season and will now be de- Mortality from diarrhea, which we were told ‘‘minders.’’ There have been reports that the pendent on grain and other food stuffs pro- represents one-third of the deaths in the government has been folding the Janjaweed vided by the international community for at camps, will only increase. into its regular forces as a way to disguise least another year. The impending rainy sea- To their credit, all the non-governmental and protect them. At two of the camps we son presents its own set of problems, making organizations (NGOs) that have been allowed visited, we were told the government had in- roads impassable for food deliveries and the to operate in Darfur have done—and con- serted spies to report on what was said or to likelihood of disease increasing dramatically tinue to do—a tremendous job under ex- threaten those who talked. We were told the with the heavy rains. tremely trying circumstances. The Govern- ‘‘minders’’ repeatedly scolded refugees and The potential for a crisis of catastrophic ment of Sudan has repeatedly thrown up told them in Arabic to shut up. Yet, even proportions is very real, especially since roadblocks to bringing in aid. It has denied with these restrictions, refugees in every none of the villagers we talked to at the ref- or slowed visa processing for relief workers. camp we visited were eager to tell their sto- ugee camps believed they will be able to go It has kept aid vehicles locked up in customs ries. back to their homes anytime soon. Having for weeks at a time. It has blocked relief It should be understood that the Janjaweed been brutally terrorized by the Janjaweed groups from bringing in radios. It has lim- are not ‘‘taking’’ the land from the black and fearing for their lives, they do not be- ited access to certain regions of the country. Muslim farmers they are terrorizing. The lieve Government of Sudan officials who say All this has made getting medicine, food and Janjaweed, whose historical roots are part of it is safe to return to their villages. We other humanitarian supplies like plastic the region’s roving nomads who have battled heard stories of some families who went back sheeting and water jugs an uphill battle. with the African farmers for generations, are to their villages only to return to the camps While the Government of Sudan plays its employing a government-supported scorched a week later for fear of being attacked again. games, people are dying as needed aid sits on earth policy to drive them out of the re- The attacks have traumatized thousands of tarmacs. As we approached the Morney camp on the gion—and perhaps to extinction. It also was young children. In an effort to cope with last day of our three-day trip, we were clear that only villages inhabited by black what they have endured, programs have been stopped by Government of Sudan soldiers African Muslims were being targeted. Arab established in the camps to help the young and security officers. They followed us villages sitting just next to African ones boys and girls deal with their psychological throughout the camp, watching with whom miles from the nearest towns have been left scars. Part of the program encourages them we talked. Amazingly, their presence did not unscathed. to draw pictures of what they have seen. The inhibit the refugees from recanting the hor- On our first day in the region, we met with crayon drawings are chilling. Huts on fire, rors from which they escaped—and for some, local Government of Sudan officials in the red flames shooting through the roof. Planes mostly women, continue to endure. town of El Fasher, a two-hour plane ride and helicopters flying overhead shooting bul- lets. Dead bodies, depictions, perhaps, of The men said while they feel somewhat se- west of Khartoum. They blame the crisis in cure inside the confines of the camps, they the region on two black African rebel their mother or father. We also saw a group of children who had dare not venture outside for fear of being groups—the Sudan Liberation Army (SLA) shot or killed by the Janjaweed. They and the Justice and Equality Movement made clay figures of men on camels and horseback attacking villages. There is no showed us scars on their arms and legs of the (JEM)—who started an uprising in February gunshot wounds they received while escaping 2003 over what they regarded as unjust treat- way to measure the impact of these atroc- ities on the thousands of children living in from their villages. They are despondent ment by the government in their struggle over the fact that they are unable to provide over land and resources with Arab country- these camps. Their lives are forever scarred. The first step in resolving this crisis is dis- food for their families because they cannot men. The rebel forces actually held El Fash- arming the Janjaweed. It must be done swift- farm their fields. They expressed utter sad- er for a short period last year. A cease-fire ly and universally. If not, the Janjaweed will ness and outrage about their wives and was agreed to in April 2004 between the rebel just bury their weapons in the sand, wait for daughters who venture outside the borders of groups and the Government of Sudan, but the pressure from the international commu- the camp to collect firewood and straw, the Janjaweed have continued to carry out nity to lift, then reinitiate their reign of ter- knowing the fate that awaits them at the attacks with the support and approval of ror. hands of the Janjaweed. Life and death deci- Khartoum. A system of justice overseen by outside sions are made every day: send the men out While local government officials in El monitors must also be implemented. The and risk death or send the women out and Fasher were adamant in saying there is no heinous, murderous acts carried out by the risk rape. connection between the Government of Janjaweed cannot go unpunished. War Rape is clearly another weapon being used Sudan and the Janjaweed, whom they called crimes and crimes against humanity clearly by the Janjaweed. Rapes, we were told, hap- ‘‘armed bandits,’’ the militiamen we saw did have been—and continue to be—committed. pen almost daily to the women who venture not look like skilled pilots who could fly Those responsible must be brought to jus- outside the confines of the camps in search planes or helicopters. tice. of firewood and straw. They leave very early We also were told the Janjaweed are well in the morning, hoping to evade their tor- DIFFICULT LIFE IN IDP CAMPS armed and well supplied. If they are tradi- mentors before they awake. With the camps tional nomads, how are they getting modern Abu Shouk was the first of five IDP (Inter- swelling in size and nearby resources dwin- automatic weapons, and, more importantly, nally Displaced People) camps we visited. dling, they often walk several miles. The far- from whom? They also are said to have sat- More than 40,000 people live in this sprawling ther the women go from the camp, the great- ellite phones, an astonishing fact considering tent city, created in April after El Fasher er the risk of being attacked by the most of the people in the far western prov- was overrun with displaced families. Me- Janjaweed. As we approached Mornay, we inces of Darfur have probably never even thodically laid out with water stations, a saw a number of Janjaweed resting with seen or walked on a paved road. health clinic, a supplemental feeding station their camels and horses along the perimeter The impunity under which the Janjaweed and crude latrines, it is being hailed as a of the camp, easily within walking distance. operate was most telling as we approached ‘‘model’’ by humanitarian relief workers in We heard the horrific story of four young the airport in Geneina on our last day in the the region. girls—two of whom were sisters—who had region for our flight back to Khartoum. In However, aid workers at Abu Shouck are been raped just days before we arrived. They plain sight was an encampment of Janjaweed deeply concerned. They observe that the had left the camp to collect straw to feed the within shouting distance of a contingent of malnutrition rate at this ‘‘model’’ camp is a family’s donkey when they were attacked. Government of Sudan regulars. No more staggering eight to nine deaths every day, They said their attackers told them they than 200 yards separated the two groups. Sit- and fear what is happening at the other were slaves and that their skin was too dark. ting on the tarmac were two helicopter camps, especially in the more remote areas As they were being raped, they said the gunships and a Russian-made Antonov plane. of Darfur that have not been reached by hu- Janjweed told them they were hoping to manitarian groups. make more lighter-skinned babies. WORLD’S WORST HUMANITARIAN CRISIS Life in the camps is difficult. Crude shel- One of the four women assaulted, too shy The situation in Darfur is being described ters made from straw and sticks and covered to tell her story in front of men, privately as the worst humanitarian crisis in the with plastic sheeting stretch as far as the told a female journalist traveling with us world today. We agree. But sadly, and with a eye can see. Families arriving at the camps— that if anyone were to find out she had been great sense of urgency, things are only going almost all after walking for days in the hot raped, she would never be able to marry. to worsen. Some say that even under the sun from their now abandon villages—are We were told that some of the rape victims best of circumstances, as many as 300,000 only given a tarp, a water jug, cookware and were being branded on their back and arms Darfuris forced from their homes are ex- a small amount of grain. by the Janjaweed, permanently labeling the pected to die from malnutrition and diarrhea The sanitary conditions are wretched. The women. We heard the chilling account of the or diseases such as malaria and cholera in sandy conditions make building latrines dif- rape of a 9-year-old girl.

VerDate Mar 15 2010 07:10 Aug 03, 2013 Jkt 029060 PO 00000 Frm 00032 Fmt 0626 Sfmt 0634 E:\CR\FM\A02AU8.082 E02AUPT1 jbell on DSK7SPTVN1PROD with REMARKS August 2, 2013 CONGRESSIONAL RECORD — Extensions of Remarks E1237 We also received a letter during our trip their land and provide for their families—be We would like to thank everyone involved from a group of women who were raped. To too much for the conscience of the inter- in organizing, coordinating and imple- protect them further attacks, we purposely national community to bear? menting our trip. Representatives from the do not mention where they are from or list We sat with the victims. We heard their State Department, USAID and the NGOs their names. The translation is heart- mind-numbing stories. We saw their tears. both in Washington and Sudan deserve spe- breaking: Now the world has seen the pictures and cial thanks. We would also like to thank ‘‘Messrs Members of the US. Congress heard the stories. We cannot say we did not Sean Woo, general counsel to Senator ‘‘Peace and the mercy and the blessings of know when history judges the year 2004 in Brownback, and Dan Scandling, chief of staff God be upon you. Darfur. to Rep. Wolf, for accompanying us on the ‘‘We thank you for your help and for stand- RECOMMENDATIONS trip. They played a critical role in writing ing by the weak of the world, wherever they this report and took all the photographs. We THE GOVERNMENT OF SUDAN are found. We welcome you to the (. . .) re- would also like to thank Janet Shaffron, leg- gion, which was devastated by the The Government of Sudan should imme- islative director, and Samantha Stockman, Janjaweed, or what is referred to as the gov- diately implement key provisions of the foreign affairs legislative assistant, to Rep. ernment ‘horse- and camel-men,’ on Friday April 8 cease-fire agreement, including: the Wolf, and Brian Hart, communications direc- (. . . 2004), when they caused havoc by kill- cessation of attacks against civilians; dis- tor, and Josh Carter, legislative aide, of Sen- ing and burning and committing plunder and arming the Janjaweed; and removing all bar- ator Sam Brownback, for editing the report. rape. This was carried out with the help of riers to the admittance of international aid Colin Samples, an intern in Rep. Wolf’s of- the government, which used the (. . .) region into Darfur. There should be a strict time- fice, did the design and layout. as an airport and supplied the Janjaweed table holding the Government of Sudan ac- We also want to extend out thanks to Sec- with munitions and supplies. So we, the countable for implementing these provisions. retary of State Colin Powell and UN Sec- The Government of Sudan should renew a raped woman of the (. . .) region, would like retary General Kofi Annan for visiting the dialogue with the Sudan Liberation Army to explain to you what has happened and God region. Their personal involvement in work- and the Justice and Equality Movement to is our best witness. ing to resolve this crisis is critically impor- discuss the political, economic and social ‘‘We are forty-four raped women. As a re- tant. roots of the crisis. sult of that savagery, some of us became f pregnant, some have aborted, some took out THE their wombs and some are still receiving Additional cease-fire observers should be IN RECOGNITION OF PHILIP D. medical treatment. Hereunder, we list the deployed and violations of the cease-fire re- WHITE names of the raped women and state that we ported immediately. The current number of have high hopes in you and the international 270 is inadequate to monitor the activity of HON. JACKIE SPEIER an area the size of Texas. community to stand by us and not to forsake OF CALIFORNIA us to this tyrannical, brutal and racist re- THE UNITED STATES IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES gime, which wants to eliminate us racially, The United States should publically iden- bearing in mind that 90 percent of our sisters tify those responsible for the atrocities oc- Friday, August 2, 2013 at (. . . ) are widows.’’ curring in Darfur, including officials and Ms. SPEIER. Mr. Speaker, I rise to honor ‘‘(Above) are the names of some of the other individuals of the Government of Fire Chief Philip D. White on the occasion of women raped in the (. . .) region. Some of Sudan, as well as Janjaweed militia com- his retirement after more than 30 years of ex- these individuals are now at (. . .), some are manders, and impose targeted sanctions that at Tawilah and some are at Abu Shouk cellent service at the South San Francisco include travel bans and the freezing of as- Fire Department, ten of them as chief. Chief camps. Everything we said is the absolute sets. truth. These girls were raped in front of our The President should instruct the U.S. White has saved many lives—human and ani- fathers and husbands. Representative to the United Nations to seek mal—and brought safety and peace of mind to ‘‘We hope that you and the international an official investigation and hold account- all residents. community will continue to preserve the able officials of the Government of Sudan He came to the South San Francisco Fire balance of the peoples and nations. and government-supported militia groups re- Department as a paramedic and firefighter in ‘‘Thank you. sponsible for the atrocities in Darfur. 1983. In 1992 he was promoted to Fire Cap- From: The raped women at (. . .).’’ THE UNITED NATIONS tain and in 1999 he advanced to Provisional These rape victims have nowhere to turn. Even if they report the attacks to the police, The United Nations should pass a strong Battalion Chief and Battalion Chief. In 2002 he they know nothing will happen. The police, Security Council Resolution condemning the was promoted to Deputy Chief and then finally the military and the Janjaweed all appear to Government of Sudan. It should call for: an to Fire Chief in 2003. be acting in coordination. immediate end to the attacks; the imme- During his distinguished career, Chief White diate disarming of the Janjaweed; the imme- DIRE SITUATION IS MAN-MADE has served with contagious enthusiasm and diate protection of civilians by beginning a The situation in Darfur is dire, and from earned a long list of awards and acknowledge- review of the security of refugees in Darfur; ments. For example, he was named 1992 what we could see, it is entirely man-made. the determination of the feasibility of send- These people who had managed to survive ing in UN protection forces; an immediate Firefighter of the Year by the South San Fran- even the severest droughts and famines dur- review of bringing legal action against those cisco Post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. ing the course of their long history are now responsible for the policies of ethnic cleans- He received a commendation from FEMA for in mortal danger of being wiped out simply ing, crimes against humanity and war crimes urban search and rescue deployments during because of the darker shade of their skin in Darfur; and the imposition of targeted Hurricane Iniki, the Northridge earthquake, the color. sanctions that include travel bans and the World Trade Center and Hurricane Katrina. He Over the course of three days, we saw the freezing of assets. worst of man’s inhumanity to man, but we received a service award from the Peninsula The United Nations should immediately Council of Lions Clubs in 2001 and was also saw the best of what it means to be deploy human rights monitors to Darfur. human: mothers waiting patiently for hours The protection of civilians and access to named the 2003 City of South San Francisco in the hot sun so that they could try to save humanitarian aid should be a primary con- Employee of the Year. Also in 2003, he re- their babies; NGO aid workers and volunteer cern; the Security Council must be prepared ceived a special commendation from the doctors feeding and caring for the sick and to establish a no fly zone if the cease-fire United States Marine Corps for the ‘‘Yellow the dying, and the courage and bravery of continues to be violated. Ribbon’’ resolution passed in support of mili- men, women and children eager to talk to us The United Nations together with other or- tary families. In 2011 he was honored with the so that we would know their story. ganizations should continue to coordinate a California Commendation Medal for meri- The world made a promise in 1994 to never relief strategy for getting aid into those re- again allow the systematic destruction of a gions of Darfur that have yet to receive hu- torious service and support of soldiers and air- people or race. ‘‘Never again’’—words said, manitarian assistance. Alternative routes men of the California Army and Air National too, after the Holocaust. In Darfur, the and means of delivering aid should be consid- Guard. international community has a chance to ered if the Government of Sudan continues This long list of honors demonstrates Chief stop history from repeating itself. It also has to impede deliveries. White’s tireless energy and commitment to a chance to end this nightmare for those who The United Nations should take immediate others. He has made South San Francisco a have found a way to survive. If the inter- steps to seek the removal of Sudan from the better place to live by introducing ordinances national community fails to act, the next United Nations Commission on Human and programs that will serve residents for dec- cycle of this crisis will begin. The destiny Rights. ades to come. Chief White was instrumental in facing the people of Darfur will be death The United Nations should set a deadline from hunger or disease. for the Government of Sudan to comply to developing technical rescue, maritime and When will the death of innocent men, all obligations under the cease-fire and pre- emergency response programs. He helped women and children who want nothing more pare contingency plans in the event those make new buildings safer by requiring sprin- in this world than to be left alone to farm deadlines are not met. kler systems. His colleagues can also thank

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