Source: United States House of Representatives – Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager California (37th District)
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, Congresswoman Sydney Kamlager-Dove (CA-37) led 50 Members of Congress in urging the Administration to build on the recent talks in Geneva, Switzerland to prioritize the scaling up of humanitarian aid in Sudan.
Following the declaration of famine in the 500,000-person Zamzam refugee camp in Darfur and the conclusion of talks in Switzerland, the lawmakers sent a letter to Secretary of State Antony Blinken and USAID Administrator Samantha Power calling for:
- Greater resources and staffing for Special Envoy for Sudan Tom Perriello that reflects the urgent need to bring an end to the conflict;
- More concerted U.S. leadership to push for creative solutions to circumvent obstacles to aid delivery;
- Support for greater market-based assistance, cash programming, and resources for locally-led response organizations that are operating in hard-to-access areas;
- Working with allies to fulfill the only 37%-funded $2.7 billion UN humanitarian appeal for Sudan; and
- Catalyzing international action by elevating the Sudan crisis at the upcoming UN General Assembly.
“The lack of international attention has obscured a horrific reality: the war in Sudan is the largest humanitarian disaster in the world today,” wrote the lawmakers. “In the face of such incredible suffering, the U.S. must take extraordinary measures to support Sudanese civilians. We appreciate the Administration’s efforts at the ALPS Group talks in Switzerland to address Sudan’s humanitarian crisis. Surging humanitarian resources to desperate civilians and bringing an end to this conflict should be a top priority of the U.S. foreign policy agenda, with commensurate resources and high-level diplomatic attention.”
The lawmakers concluded, “Famine is a reality on the ground in Sudan and the deprivation at Zamzam camp just scratches the surface of a much broader catastrophe. There is no time to waste: the United States must bring the full weight of our diplomatic power and foreign assistance to bear to meaningfully improve the conditions on the ground.”
The following lawmakers signed the letter: Representatives Jim McGovern (MA-02), Sara Jacobs (CA-51), Lois Frankel (FL-22), Norma Torres (CA-35), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Madeleine Dean (PA-04), Abigail Spanberger (VA-07), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Greg Casar (TX-35), Dina Titus (NV-03), Delia Ramirez (IL-03), Pramila Jayapal (WA-07), Raúl Grijalva (AZ-07), Maxine Waters (CA-43), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Frederica Wilson (FL-24), Alma Adams (NC-12), Nikema Williams (GA-05), Betty McCollum (MN-04), Mike Quigley (IL-05), Gwen Moore (WI-04), Seth Moulton (MA-06), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Brad Sherman (CA-32), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (FL-20), Andy Kim (NJ-03), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Bennie Thompson (MS-02), Dan Kildee (MI-08), Kevin Mullin (CA-15), Nydia Velázquez (NY-07), Danny Davis (IL-07), Gabe Amo (RI-01), Yvette Clarke (NY-09), Seth Magaziner (RI-02), Nanette Barragán (CA-44), André Carson (IN-07), Robert Garcia (CA-42), Ami Bera (CA-06), Henry “Hank” Johnson (GA-04), Jennifer McClellan (VA-04), Teresa Leger Fernández (NM-03), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Greg Stanton (AZ-04), Juan Vargas (CA-52), and Bill Keating (MA-09).
To read the full letter, click here.
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