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Two resolutions introduced by Congressman Donald M. Payne of New Jersey, ranking member on the House International Relations Subcommittee on Africa, were unanimously approved by the House of Representatives. Before adjourning for the summer recess, the House approved Payne’s resolution declaring Genocide in Darfur, Sudan.
Sudanese government troops and their allied Janjaweed militias have raped, tortured, maimed, and burned entire villages in a deliberate and systematic manner to cleanse the area of African Muslims in this western region.
Article 1 of the 1948 United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide states that ‘the contracting parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.’ The United States is a party to this convention.
The resolution declares that the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, are genocide, urges the international community, in particular the Administration, to live up to their international legal obligations and calls on the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) to establish a Darfur Resettlement, Rehabilitation and Reconstruction Fund so that those driven from their land may return and begin to rebuild their communities.
Payne, an outspoken champion of human rights, has visited Sudan and numerous other nations in Africa. In condemning the genocide in Darfur, Payne said “Many people have held back from using the word ‘genocide’ out of fear of what it really is and what its declaration entails. But in the Congress on this day, we stand together to say that yes, what is happening in western Sudan in a region the size of France is a systematic destruction of a group of people – black Muslims.
The second Payne resolution to win approval was a measure celebrating ten years of majority rule in the Republic of South Africa and recognizing the momentous social and economic achievements of South Africa since the institution of democracy in that country.
The Republic of South Africa is currently celebrating 10 years of majority rule after decades of apartheid. South Africa peacefully and successfully held democratic elections and transitioned to a democratic, nonracial form of government in 1994.
Over the last 10 years, nine million people in South Africa have gained access to clean water. In addition, the government of South Africa has established nutritional and educational programs to benefit the youngest and poorest people in South Africa.
Commenting on the passage of the legislation Payne said, “This resolution celebrates not only 10 years of democratic rule in a country whose people were stifled under the repressive reign of apartheid, it also recognizes how far South Africa has come and the leadership role the great nation now plays in Africa.”
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