Kildee Leads Bipartisan Effort to Address Sudan’s Humanitarian Crisis

WASHINGTON-Congressman Dan Kildee (MI-08) today sent a bipartisan letter with over two dozen Members of Congress calling on the Biden Administration to take further action to address the growing humanitarian crisis in Sudan.

Since the conflict in Sudan between the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) began over one year ago, the fighting has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced millions and created a humanitarian crisis for the region. According to the United Nations, half of Sudan's population-roughly 25 million people-are in need of basic assistance, such as food, water and medicine. Congressman Kildee's letter calls for strong leadership from the United States to scale up its support for local, community-based aid organizations in Sudan and help facilitate the delivery of more humanitarian assistance to civilians.

Congressman Kildee's letter also urges the Biden Administration to ensure the U.S. Special Envoy for Sudan, who is tasked with coordinating U.S. efforts to end the fighting, deliver humanitarian assistance, and support a transition to democracy in Sudan, receive the authority and resources necessary to advance his mission.

In addition to Kildee, the letter was signed by Reps. Young Kim (CA-40), Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12), Colin Z. Allred (TX-32), Cori Bush (MO-01), Greg Casar (TX-35), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Jason Crow (CO-06), Danny K. Davis (IL-07), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10), Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07), Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37), Barbara Lee (CA-12), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Mark Pocan (WI-02), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Dina Titus (NV-01), and Jill Tokuda (HI-02).

Full text of the letter is below:

President Biden, Secretary Blinken, and Administrator Power:

We write to you with urgency regarding the international conflict and humanitarian crisis in Sudan and efforts to deliver more humanitarian assistance to the Sudanese people. Since April 15, 2023, the conflict has killed tens of thousands of civilians, displaced millions of people, and created a humanitarian crisis for the region.

We support your administration's decision to appoint a high-level Special Envoy for Sudan. Members of Congress have called for the appointment of a Special Envoy on a bipartisan basis for months, including in H.Res.585, S.Con.Res.24 and H.Res.982. Central to the Special Envoy Tom Periello's task of coordinating U.S. policy on Sudan is to spearhead U.S. efforts to secure unhindered humanitarian access, as well as advance inclusive diplomatic efforts to bring about an end to hostilities and support Sudanese pro-democracy civilian leaders.

We support the U.S. State Department's recent announcement of additional humanitarian assistance for the emergency response in Sudan and neighboring countries. However, of the millions of civilians in Sudan in need of assistance, only one in ten are in areas accessible to international aid agencies. Aid groups face serious impediments, including arbitrary restrictions on cross-border movement, harassment, and bans on the shipment of supplies.

U.S. leadership in improving humanitarian access is critical, and these efforts must be guided by a clear strategy for coordinating with our regional and international partners, engaging with parties in the conflict, and addressing the spoiler role of outside actors, such as the United Arab Emirates and Egypt, in Sudan. The U.S. should also consider how to scale up support for local, community-based organizations in Sudan-particularly women-led organizations and the network of Emergency Response Rooms (ERRs)-aiding civilians in conflict affected areas.

We strongly agree with Special Envoy Periello's statement on March 21, 2024, that it is "our job, all of us who care about the people of Sudan…to be urgently seized with the project of ending this war, preventing the worst of this famine, and giving the Sudanese people a chance to determine their own future."

We urge you to ensure the Special Envoy's office is sufficiently staffed at a level commensurate with the scale of this crisis, and the relevant offices at State Department and the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), have both the authority and resources necessary to advance this mission in Sudan and across the region. Therefore, we request that the State Department and USAID provide to the undersigned Members a description of the staffing, resources, and authorities required to prioritize U.S. efforts in Sudan.

In Congress, we stand ready to support a clear U.S. strategy to address the conflict in Sudan-to deliver urgently-needed humanitarian assistance, end the hostilities, and support the Sudanese people in their desire for peace, freedom, and justice.

Sincerely,

Rep. Dan Kildee

Rep. Young Kim (CA-40)

Rep. Alma S. Adams, Ph.D. (NC-12)

Colin Z. Allred (TX-32)

Cori Bush (MO-01)

Greg Casar (TX-35)

Joaquin Castro (TX-20)

Jason Crow (CO-06)

Danny K. Davis (IL-07)

Madeleine Dean (PA-04)

Maxwell Alejandro Frost (FL-10)

Raúl M. Grijalva (AZ-07)

Jonathan L. Jackson (IL-01)

Sara Jacobs (CA-51)

Pramila Jayapal (WA-07)

Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37)

Barbara Lee (CA-12)

James P. McGovern (MA-02)

Seth Moulton (MA-06)

Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-At Large)

Ilhan Omar (MN-05)

Mark Pocan (WI-02)

Brad Sherman (CA-32)

Dina Titus (NV-01)

Jill Tokuda (HI-02)

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.