U.S. Rep. Scott Garrett recently called upon President George W. Bush to confront Sudanese government officials regarding the genocide in the Darfur region. The New Jersey Republican, whose offices are located on Route 4 in Paramus, wrote the letter with his colleague Michael Capuano, (D-Mass.), and joined 54 other members of Congress in urging the administration to work toward resolving the conflict. On June 4, pending a United Nations visit to Darfur, Garrett also urged U.S. Ambassador to the U.N., Zalmay Khalilzad, to take action.
In a written release, Garrett said that "the violent acts that have been inflicted upon the people of Darfur must come to an end." He added that he will "continue to stand up for the people living in the Darfur region and work to ensure that President Bush and the United Nations hear their cry."
The letter to the President, dated May 30, urges Bush to take action as the U.S. assumed presidency of the United Nations Security Council for the month of June. The congressmen stressed that "there should be discussion regarding a favorable shift in U.S. policy toward Sudan until the regime in Khartoum demonstrates a commitment to change its human rights policies and practices."
The Darfur region in Sudan, the largest country in Africa, is about the size of Texas. According to information available from the human rights group Save Darfur, the current crisis began in 2003 in the impoverished region, after rebel groups - the Sudanese Liberation/Army Movement (SLA/M) and the Justice Equality Movement (JEM) - mounted an insurgency against the central government. The groups reportedly represented mostly "non-Arab black African" Muslims. According to published reports, President Omar al-Bashir responded by arming and supporting local tribal and militias, who have become collectively known as Janjaweed rebels, to suppress opposition.
The violence that ensued has killed more than 400,000 people and displaced an estimated 2.5 million. In 2004, the United States declared the killings in Darfur to be genocide. According to Garrett, the rebels use attack helicopters in violation of the ban on offensive military overflights imposed by U.N. Security Council Resolution 1591. According to the Save Darfur organization, the Sudanese military has even painted many of it’s attack aircrafts white, the same color as U.N. humanitarian aircraft, a violation of international humanitarian law. In addition, Garrett’s letter argues that the government of Sudan continues to block fully deployment of United Nations African Union Mission in Darfur by refusing to admit "non-African" troops, as well as a host of other violations. As so, he argued that several benchmarks must be passed by the Security Council, including a cease on all civilian attacks, allowing humanitarian aid in Darfur, and implementing targeted sanctions on rebels, especially Janjaweed leader Musa Hilal.
Garrett and Capuano’s efforts come at a time when international criticism of the crisis in Darfur is increasing. Presidential candidates Barack Obama, John McCain and Hillary Clinton released a joint statement last month condemning the Sudanese government and pledging "unstinting resolve" to end the genocide in Darfur.
Recently, U.S. officials have warned Chinese officials that the 2008 Beijing Olympics could face boycotts if China does not change its policy toward Sudan. The two countries have deep economic and military ties. Garrett criticized Bush for his plans to attend the opening ceremonies in Beijing last week.
"I do not think the President should be supporting them in such a way that he gives them credibility as a more just country than their actions suggest they are," he said, although he clarified that he was not necessarily calling for a boycott of the Olympic games. Other world leaders, including German Chancellor Angela Merkel, have already declined to attend the ceremony.
Garrett encouraged Bergen County residents to get involved in speaking out against the genocide in Darfur by frequently contacting his office on Route 4 in Paramus to remain abreast of updates and specific actions surrounding the issue. He also noted that residents can become involved by joining with several civic groups, churches and synagogues in the area that are making the issue a priority. A list of these groups can also be obtained by calling Garrett’s office at 201-712-0330.
"The more residents that get involved the easier it will be for us to rally support for this critical issue in Washington," Garrett said. "All Americans should be aware of and concerned about what is going in Darfur."
