Darfur 'a human catastrophe'
2006-09-27 10:02
Washington - The United States house of representatives late on Monday gave final passage to the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act, which would expand peacekeeping operations in Darfur, Sudan, and would punish those found to have committed genocide there.
Representative Henry Hyde, chairperson of the House International Relations Committee, said after the bill's passage: "Darfur remains a human catastrophe that must be engaged at the highest levels of our government.
"With passage of this bill, we have taken a small, but significant, step toward finding a solution." The legislation went to US President George W Bush for his signature.
UN called to mobilise resources
Hyde said: "Confronting genocide and facilitating peace in a country that has been at war with itself for most of its independent existence requires more than legislation and good intentions.
"It will require a sustained campaign of pressure and aggressive diplomacy by those in the international community who are willing to roll up their sleeves, make the difficult choices and find the improbable solutions."
The bill allowed the president to provide assistance to support the deployment and operations of an expanded African Union mission in Sudan until a United Nations peacekeeping mission could be deployed.
It also called on the UN, European Union and North Atlantic Treaty Organisation to immediately mobilise appropriate resources to support the peacekeeping effort.
The bill also slapped sanctions against individuals found responsible for genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity in Darfur.