WASHINGTON - U.S. Senators Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Tim Scott (R-S.C.), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa, today released the following statement expressing concern over recent clashes between Sudan’s army and paramilitary forces, 20 years after the genocide in Darfur:
“In 2003, the Sudanese regime led by Omar al-Bashir launched a brutal campaign of genocide against the people of Darfur. Millions were forcibly displaced and an estimated 300,000 killed in an area that remains at risk for mass atrocities.
“As we reflect on the unspeakable violence committed 20 years ago, we are concerned by the latest cycle of violence between the Sudanese army and paramilitary forces - led by known Darfur genocidaires - which jeopardizes the lives of civilians and risks further instability in a region critical to our own security interests. With reports of attacks against the diplomatic community in Khartoum, we are also concerned for the safety of U.S. citizens and personnel. As the fighting continues, the administration must take all steps necessary to protect the lives of Americans. We cannot afford another botched evacuation.
“We join many of our bipartisan colleagues in calling for an end to the hostilities. The Biden Administration must take greater action to hold the military junta in Sudan accountable for human rights abuses and their continued efforts to thwart a transition to civilian rule. The grieving families from the genocide in Darfur and more recent hostilities deserve stability and justice, not more unrest and seemingly never-ending cycles of violence."