Darfur Floor Speech by Senator Sam Brownback

October 19, 2005 -- Mr. President, it was Martin Luther King, Jr. who once said, “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.” This is a fitting quote when faced with genocide.

The reality of genocide is that it has hit many races, many economic classes, many religions, and many continents of the world. It is not just a crime of the past, but a crime of today and a crime of the future if we, too, remain silent.

You have heard me speak several times about the atrocities in Darfur, Sudan. In fact, I brought evidence to the floor earlier this year— many of you remember the gruesome pictures of Africans targeted in the western region of Sudan by the Sudanese government and their camel-riding militias known as the Janjaweed. Pictures of castrated men left to bleed to death, little girls chained in a schoolhouse and burned alive, and faces that represent the despair of the millions who have been affected by this conflict since 2003.

The spotlight from one of the worst humanitarian disasters of our time has faded, but this does not mean the suffering has subsided in Darfur.

Mr. President, this body declared these atrocities to be genocide, followed by the same declaration by the Bush Administration. That was well over a year ago. In fact, since taking that bold step to be the first government to declare genocide while it was occurring, we have seen little success in ending the violence. We are nearing the end of another year-- another chance to fulfill our promise of “never again”. But as 2006 approaches, I fear that there is little will to do more than make empty promises about preventing genocide.

Without political will to stop this killing, without international pressure for sustained and high-level peace talks, without consequences for the perpetrators and swift policies that force immediate cessation of violence, we are fooling ourselves into thinking that our deeds have even begun to match our words.

Mr. President, many of you may be under the impression that the situation has improved. The situation has in fact deteriorated.

The African Union’s mandate is simply to monitor and report on the current cease-fire. To date, they have largely written and filed away reports. Without a mandate robust enough to protect the civilians or prevent violence or assistance robust enough to provide a well-sized and equipped force, there is not much hope for the people seeking safety in Darfur.

A few weeks ago the African Union came out with their strongest statement regarding the violence. This was a clear call for the international community to shine the spotlight on this crisis and to realize the implications that it will have on the entire region.

While the parties are engaged in the sixth round of the Abuja peace talks, violence continues in Darfur. In the last few weeks attacks have been carried out by the Janjaweed militias, the government forces and the rebel movements. The African Union announced, “You would recall that in the past one month we witnessed a series of violations in Darfur, with widespread violence against villages, commercial and humanitarian convoys and even IDP camps. This rendered the work of the humanitarian agencies and NGOs in the area difficult, and in some cases, they were forced to suspend their activities.”

There was an unprecedented move against internally displaced person (IDP) camps and the first reports of the government’s use of helicopters since January. A number of coordinated attacks have been reported since mid-September involving hundreds of Janjaweed militias and government forces, killing and injuring many, and displacing thousands more. Just this week a number of civilians were killed in fighting that took place in the town of Kutum after rebel and government force clashed.

The African Union articulates, “a clearly premeditated and well rehearsed combined operation was carried out by the GOS military and police at approximately 11 am in the town of Tawilla and its IDP camps in North Darfur. The GOS forces used approximately 41 trucks, 7 land cruisers in the operation which resulted in a number of deaths, massive displacement of civilians and the destruction of several houses in the surrounding areas as well as some tents in the IDP camp.”

In addition, to these violations, there are reports that the government of Sudan has painted their military trucks in the African Union colors, making it extremely difficult for civilians to distinguish between monitors or attackers. All parties have violated the cease-fire agreement on several occasions since it was established in 2004. Conditions for humanitarian organizations remain extremely difficult. Just this week the United Nations announced its plan to withdraw all non-essential staff from Darfur.

In addition to an upsurge in violence by the government and the government-backed Janjaweed militias, I am very troubled by the recent violence aimed at the African Union by rebel groups. In particular, the recent kidnappings and killing of African Union troops should be strongly condemned and swift justice should be brought to the perpetrators of these crimes. The African Union has called for these events to be brought to the attention of the Security Council in their October 10, 2005 communiqué.

The New York Times reported yesterday that some of the once-government-back militia groups are fracturing and targeting government-run entities, like police stations. In-fighting amongst the rebels is another common hurdle to achieving peace. This is the chaos that has plagued Darfur.

Ambassador John Bolton’s recent decision to block the UN Envoy on Genocide from testifying before the Security Council has undoubtedly raised some eyebrows. However, if he means what he says—that actions speak louder than words—then I urge the Congress, the Administration, the United Nations, and the international community to do something. I applaud Bolton’s recognition of the fact that current arms embargo is not adequate—it must be expanded and there must be compliance.

Mr. President, I urge my colleagues to consider these recent events and to redouble our efforts to bring an end to this genocide. I have urged my colleague, Senator Lugar, to quickly report out of Committee S. 1462, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. I urge the rest of my colleagues in the Congress to pass the bill and I urge the President to sign this measure into law.

This legislation increases pressure on Khartoum, provides greater support to the African Union mission in Darfur to help protect civilians, imposes sanctions on individuals responsible for the atrocities, and encourages the appointment of a U.S. special envoy to help advance a comprehensive peace process for Darfur and all of Sudan. It also calls for the US to push for a strong Security Council resolution that, amongst other things, expands the arms embargo.

We can no longer remain indifferent to the suffering Africans of Darfur. We must move beyond partisan politics, and agree on the fundamentals that will help save lives immediately. It is quite simple: When the never is removed from “never again” it will happen: again and again and again. I don’t want to be the silent friend of Darfur.