‘Peace in Darfur Act of 2006’ Introduced in Senate

On August 3, Senators Smith [R-OR] and Kennedy [D-MA] introduced S. 3801, the ‘Peace in Darfur Act of 2006’. The bill, which is currently awaiting action in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, calls on the government of Sudan to immediately allow a U.N. Peacekeeping force to deploy in Darfur to replace the African Mission in Sudan (AMIS). It also codifies existing sanctions – such as freezing the assets of the Sudanese government in the U.S., and calls on the president to appoint a special envoy who would be tasked with facilitating peace process in Darfur.

The bill also urges the international community to provide greater monetary and logistical support to the AMIS mission until a U.N. peacekeeping force arrives, and requests the international community begin to create a plan for the safe return of refugees once peace has been established.

Other legislation (S.Res.531, H.R.3127, S.1462) has called for the appointment of a special envoy, but none has used the threat of sanctions like the Smith-Kennedy piece does. The legislation would place sanctions on the Sudanese government and prohibit exports or imports to that country. It would also prohibit any financing by the U.S. government, U.S. nationals or U.S. companies to the government of Sudan.

This bill comes as violence continues to rise in the region, particularly in internally displaced persons camps where a number of aid workers have been killed in the last month. Many legislators have been pressuring the president to take further action on this issue before instability throughout the region grows greater.

Citizens for Global Solutions support the 'Peace in Darfur Act of 2006' and commends Senators Smith and Kennedy for sponsoring it. Clearly, the signing of the Darfur Peace Agreement in May 2006 has failed to halt the violence in Darfur. The peace deal has not been upheld by the Sudanese government, nor has it been endorsed by some rebel factions. Greater U.S. leadership is needed to bring end to the violence.

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