Congressional Black Caucus
"The Conscience of Congress since 1969"
www.congressionalblackcaucus.net

(Washington, D.C.) - Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Melvin L. Watt (D-NC),  along with U.S. Representatives James Clyburn (D-SC), House Democratic Caucus Chair, Carolyn Kilpatrick (D-MI), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Maxine Waters (D-CA) and Donald Payne (D-N.J.), were part of an 11-member, bipartisan Congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that recently visited Rome, Italy and five countries in Africa, including Sudan, South Africa, Ghana, Liberia and Cape Verde.

The CBC trip briefing is detailed below:

STATEMENT OF THE CONGRESSIONAL BLACK CAUCUS

Six members of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) were part of the 11-member, bipartisan Congressional delegation led by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi that recently visited Rome, Italy and five countries in Africa (Sudan, South Africa, Ghana, Liberia and Cape Verde).

In Rome, in preparation for the stops in Africa, the delegation received briefings from Ambassador Tony Hall, former member of the U.S. House of Representatives, and former House and CBC colleague Eva Clayton, now Assistant Director General of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization, about food and humanitarian issues throughout Africa, especially in Sudan.  The group also met with Lt. General Broadwater, European Command Chief of Staff, about current and additional military efforts by the United States and/or others to supplement those of the Africa Union in Sudan. 

The Congressional delegation trip, as well as parallel meetings held by CBC member Donald Payne in Kenya, had the following purposes:

• To assess and see firsthand the horrific conditions, results and effects of genocide in Darfur, Sudan;
• To assess progress on the implementation of the Comprehensive (North/South) Agreement negotiated by the government of Sudan and the Sudanese People’s Liberation Movement Army (SPLM/A) in 2004 and signed in January 2005;
• To seek the advice of President Thabo Mbeki of South Africa, President J. A. Kufuor of Ghana and other government and non-government officials familiar with Sudan about ways to address the horrific conditions in Darfur and about ways to hasten a resolution;
• To assess other problem areas that might be emerging in Africa, how they may be prevented or addressed and how USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation and other U.S. assistance programs can better and more expeditiously assist;
• To make a firsthand assessment of conditions in Liberia and to explore ways that the United States and the international community can help assure stability and build upon the recent democratic election of President Sirleaf in Liberia; and
• To assess the impact of HIV/AIDS initiatives and whether the global fund and other programs are meeting their goals.

Recognizing the critical role the CBC has played over the years in the formulation of U.S. policies in Africa and the critical nature and timeliness of the trip, the six CBC members who were part of the delegation made a report to the full CBC on March 1 at the first CBC meeting following the Congressional delegation trip.  Based on the report, the CBC adopted the following statements regarding Sudan: 

1. The CBC reaffirms its previously announced position that genocide has occurred and continues to occur in Sudan and that the government of Sudan has done little or nothing to stop the genocide or to assist the millions of Sudanese people now living in horrific conditions in Internally Displaced Persons (IDP) Camps in Sudan and Chad;
2. That the African Union (AU) has, without sufficient manpower and resources, done an outstanding job of reducing violence and providing some stability in Sudan, but is now in critical and immediate need of an extension of its mandate beyond March 31, a doubling of the current level of forces in Sudan and training, technical and other assistance and/or partnerships with other international organizations (United Nations, NATO, etc.) to insure the safety and security of the Sudanese people and to insure adherence to the terms of the Comprehensive Agreement and any future agreement that might result from negotiations taking place in Abuja, Nigeria;
3. That increased, immediate and decisive steps are required to provide protection and security for all people living in Darfur and throughout Sudan;
4. That the CBC encourages all parties to participate in good-faith, sustained negotiations in Abuja, Nigeria in an effort to resolve ongoing conflicts and disputes in Darfur;
5. That more steps are needed to provide increased humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people in IDP camps until they can safely return to their communities and villages; and
6. That until the genocide ceases in Sudan, until conflicts are resolved through a negotiated agreement and until progress is made toward implementation of  the agreement, sanctions should continue and the CBC, therefore, encourages individuals, businesses, institutions of higher education, public institutions, public employee retirement plans and all others to divest their holdings and interests in Sudan and refrain from making purchases from Sudan, and encourages all such entities and individuals holding stock in companies failing to divest to dispose of such stock. 

The CBC also adopted the following statements:

1. That the CBC encourages USAID, the Millennium Challenge Corporation (MCC) and other U.S. assistance programs to improve their organization and efficiency, to reduce bureaucratic obstacles and to expedite assistance to all eligible countries in Africa and, having been briefed on the MCC requests of Ghana and Cape Verde, expresses particular support for these requests;
2. That the CBC encourages the United States, the United Nations and all other international organizations to support the democratically elected government of Liberia and to insure the security of Liberia’s democratically elected President, the Honorable Ellen Sirleaf;
3. That the CBC encourages the leadership of the House and Senate to extend an invitation to President Sirleaf, the first female elected head of state in Africa, to address a joint session of Congress and encourages President Bush to host a state dinner in her honor;
4. That the CBC will support the authorization and appropriation of funds to establish the Donald Payne Institute for Conflict Resolution at the AME University in Liberia;
5. That the CBC will continue to support and work to increase funding for the Global Fund and other HIV/AIDS initiatives and for increased debt forgiveness for countries in Africa;
6. That the CBC will support and work for the appropriation of funds to recognize and honor the 50th anniversary of Ghana’s independence (e.g. for the WEB Dubois Museum and other entities that may be involved in appropriate recognitions);
7. That the CBC will continue to monitor all legislative and appropriations proposals in Congress, working especially through the CBC’s International Task Force chaired by Rep. Donald Payne and Rep. Barbara Lee and through its members who serve on the relevant Committees of jurisdiction in the House and Senate;
8. That the CBC encourages additional interaction, legislative exchanges and congressional delegation trips to Africa to improve communication, dialogue and education of members of Congress about Africa and to encourage and promote democracy in Africa;
9. That the CBC, recognizing the strong link between malnutrition and TB, malaria, the progression of HIV to AIDS and other adverse health outcomes, will increase efforts to insure that provisions requiring the integration of nutrition programs with HIV programs contained in the bill that created the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) are aggressively enforced and supports increased Congressional oversight of the PEPFAR  program; and
10. That the CBC is committed to working with President Bush, Congress and other international and humanitarian organizations to support and implement the items outlined above related to Sudan and other parts of Africa.
     

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