Nita Lowey: “I rise in support of H.R. 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. Passage of this bill, which is long overdue…”

“I rise in support of H.R. 3127, the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act. Passage of this bill, which is long overdue, will help fulfill the U.S.'s role in ending the genocide in Sudan. More than a year and a half ago, Congress voted unanimously to condemn the genocide in Darfur. Then-Secretary of State Colin Powell declared the atrocities in Darfur to be genocide, a statement that was hailed as significant and meaningful coming from the highest echelons of the U.S. government. Despite these clear pronouncements, however, more people die every day and the slow genocide in Darfur persists unabated. It is beyond imagination that the collective might and concerted will of the nations of the world cannot find a way to end this daily toll of human misery. I hope and pray that Sudan will allow the proposed UN peacekeeping mission to move forward so that we can end this devastation. While we wait, however, we must find ways to make the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) stronger, and to bolster these efforts with a NATO support. We must also send the message to those who perpetrate genocide that there will be consequences. The Darfur Peace and Accountability Act would impose harsh sanctions against those who are complicit in or responsible for acts of genocide, freezing their assets and restricting their ability to travel, and would block the Government of Sudan's access to the oil revenues used to fund the ongoing genocide.…”