Trent Lott: “on April 7, 1991, United States led coalition forces and Iraq agreed to a cease-fire which ended Operation Desert Storm.…”

“on April 7, 1991, United States led coalition forces and Iraq agreed to a cease-fire which ended Operation Desert Storm. Several days prior to agreeing to the terms of the cease-fire, Iraq initiated military action against the Kurdish population in northern Iraq and a Sunni Moslem population in southern Iraq. Saddam Hussein's repressive actions against these Iraqi peoples included the use of helicopters flying strapping missions against the Kurds on the ground. In southern Iraq, Saddam's Republican Guard chased the Sunnis into the marshes along the Euphrates and Tigris Rivers. After chasing the Sunnis into the marshes, the Republican Guard actually set fire to the marshes, burning many Sunnis alive. Saddam's barbarism against these forces did not go unnoticed by the coalition forces. General Schwarzkopf directly linked Iraq's repressive actions against the Kurds and the Sunnis to the cease-fire discussions. On April 5, 1991, 2 days prior to concluding the cease-fire agreement, the United Nations passed Security Council Resolution No. 687 and No. 688. These resolutions condemned Iraq for its repressive actions against the Kurds and Sunnis. After adoption of these two resolutions, the Secretary General of the United Nations enlisted the support of the United States to engage in military operations to protect these Iraqi civilian populations against Saddam's aggression.”