• Background: Humanitarian crisis in Sudan
• Recent Legislation: Strong economic sanctions from Pres. Bush

Background

• The Sudanese government stands accused of sponsoring the violence that has led to an estimated 200,000-400,000 deaths and 200,500 refugees since 2003 in what the United Nations called "the worst humanitarian disaster" anywhere. The United States has used the term "genocide" to describe the situation in Darfur while the international community has not yet accepted this declaration.
• Rep. Henry Hyde (R-IL) and Sen. Sam Brownback (R-KS) introduced the Darfur Peace and Accountability Act (DPAA) in 2005. It was passed by the House and Senate by August 2006 and signed into law by the president in October 2006 with a companion executive order. The DPAA restates the US government's position on Darfur, calls on the government to expand the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS), gives the AU force a stronger mandate with more logistical support from NATO, directs the government to assist in trying those guilty of war crimes under the International Criminal Court, urges the administration to deny the Sudanese government access to oil revenue, and lays out benchmarks that must be met before sanctions are lifted.
• In April 2007 Senator Joe Biden (D-DE), Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee called immediate action in Darfur, "a moral obligation" and argued that economic sanctions against the Sudanese government were long overdue (Source: senate.gov).

Recent Legislation

• In May, President Bush imposed tougher sanctions against the government of Sudan. These sanctions targeted 30 Sudanese firms and 3 individuals and barred them from the US banking system and from conducting business with US firms (Source: BBC News).