Over 100 House Lawmakers Press for Special Envoy in Darfur

On April 13, 2006 119 members of the House of Representatives signed a letter to Secretary of State Rice strongly urging the appointment of a special envoy to Sudan.  This envoy would focus on ending the genocide in Darfur and would help preserve the fragile North-South peace agreement. The letter was circulated by Rep. Frank Wolf (R-VA), who serves as chairman of both the Congressional Human Rights Caucus and the House Appropriations Subcommittee with jurisdiction over the State Department’s budget.

The House and the Senate recently passed separate pieces of Darfur legislation, H.R.3127 and S.1462, both which call for, among other things, the appointment of a special envoy. Unfortunately, the Bush administration has refused to act. In the letter, House lawmakers argue that a special envoy, with a “full mandate and access to senior officials, is critical to maintaining pressure on the government of Sudan for full implementation of the [North-South peace agreement] and better coordination of U.S. policy.” It is still unclear whether this latest attempt to persuade will produce results. In the meantime, there is more that the U.S. should do to end the genocide in Darfur.

Until the arrival of a UN Peacekeeping operation, for example, it is essential for the international community to provide financial and logistical support to the African Union (AU) mission – the only troops on the ground. The U.S. must also make good on its full financial commitments to the UN in order to ensure that they are equipped and ready to takeover peacekeeping responsibilities from the AU when called. A stronger relationship with the Arab and Muslim worlds should also be encouraged in U.S. diplomacy. Additionally, the U.S. should support an investigation in Darfur led by the International Criminal Court.

Citizens for Global Solutions applauds Representative Wolf and the signatories of this letter for highlighting actions that can be taken to end the violence. For more solutions and answers on how the international community can join together on a multilateral effort to bring peace in Darfur, visit our Darfur Resource Center.

+ READ THE LETTER TO SECRETARY OF STATE RICE
+ DARFUR RESOURCE CENTER