Res. 1011. calling on the United States Government and the international community to promptly develop. fund. and implement a comprehensive regional strategy to protect civilians. facilitate humanitarian operations. contain and reduce violence. and contribute to conditions for sustainable peace and good governance in Chad. as well as in the wider region that includes the northern region of the Central African Republic and the Darfur region of Sudan. introduced by my distinguished colleague from Virginia. Representative WOLF. This timely and important legislation. of which I am proud to be an original cosponsor. not only calls on the govemments of Chad and the Central African Republic to fulfill their obligations under international law to protect civilians. but also calls upon the President of the United States to continue humanitarian assistance to refugees and internally displaced persons in the region. While regional conflicts have proven substantive and continuous. the internal politics of Chad are by no means a beacon of stability and democracy. Since reaching independence in 1960. Chad has been consistently riddled with internal conflicts and civil wars. Unfortunately. despite American assistance to the government. the State Department reported that the last elections were. "orderly. but seriously flawed." as Well as stating in the most recent Department of State Country Report on Human Rights Practices that. "the [Chadian] governments poor human rights record deteriorated further." The situation within Chad is even more precarious when one considers that the United Nations estimates that Chad is home to some 240.000 refugees from Darfur. 52.000 refugees from the Central African Republic. and more than 180.000 internally displaced people. In February 2008 alone. over 12.000 new refugees from Darfur entered the country. Mr. Speaker. in the past three years. as fighting between the government and rebels increased. 180.000 Chadians have been displaced. adding to the inflow of 290.000 refugees from the Central African Republic (CAR) and Sudans Darfur region. Although the government developed a plan for reform. and signed a peace agreement with rebel groups in 2007. the conflict has not ceased. In February 2008. rebel forces. supported by the neighboring Sudanese government. sought to remove President Idriss Deby from power. killing hundreds of civilians in the process. Despite the United Nations Security Council Resolution 1778. authorizing a multidimensional presence intended to help create the security conditions necessary for reconstruction and social and economic development. this has not been the case. While the United States has provided over $338 million in humanitarian assistance since 2004 and also provides security assistance to the Chadian army through the International Military Education and Training (IMET) funds. there is still much more that needs to be done. This resolution is both timely and imperative because it calls on the United States to work harder to develop and implement a sound strategy to protect and assist Chadians and other refugees. and. together with the international community. condemn Sudanese President Omar alBashir and the National Congress for their support of the armed rebellion. A further destabilization in Chad will lead to wider regional instability and hinder the United States counterterrorism capabilities in a very sensitive region. By calling on the President of the United States to continue to provide humanitarian assistance to displaced persons in the Chad and the Central African Republic and provide support to strengthen the rule of law. democratic institutions. and respect for human rights. this legislation works to not only alleviate suffering in the short term. but also prevent them from occurring in the long term.
Keywords matched
refugees