Senator Clinton Joins Bipartisan Call for China to Help End the Crisis in Darfur

Dear President Hu:

We write to request your assistance on a matter of grave mutual concern requiring urgent action.

The devastating crisis in western Sudan has escalated despite United Nations Security Council Resolution 1706, and the subsequent agreement brokered by the United Nations late last year in Addis Ababa to establish a joint African Union-UN peacekeeping mission in Darfur. Simply put, the African Union Mission in Sudan (AMIS) has not had the troop level, financial resources, institutional capacity or mandate to protect civilians or humanitarian organizations in Darfur. Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir recently sent a disturbing letter to UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon in which he backed away from the Addis agreement to implement phases II and III, the heavy support package and a robust UN peacekeeping force. Last week, he apparently reversed himself and agreed to move forward with the heavy support package, but given his record of stonewalling we need to keep the pressure on until peacekeepers are actually deployed. It is also essential that President Bashir's decision to allow the second phase of the U.N. deployment not be used as a rationale for Khartoum's rejection of the full hybrid AU/UN force authorized in UNSC Resolution 1706.

The conflict waged by Sudanese government forces and government-backed Janjawid militias against armed rebel groups has driven more than 230,000 Darfuri refugees into Chad, and displaced more than 120,000 Chadians. Hundreds of thousands of Darfuri civilians have been killed and an estimated 2 million displaced in Darfur itself. The conflict has had particularly devastating consequences for women and children, who make up the vast majority of victims. Humanitarian operations have also been increasingly attacked and disrupted in recent months—leaving millions without access to the most basic assistance.

We appreciate the steps the international community and China have taken to confront war crimes and other egregious human rights violations in Darfur. The President's Special Envoy for Sudan, Andrew Natsios, recently told Congress that China may have been "the critical factor" in Sudan's decision to accept important portions of the Kofi Annan plan. That is an important contribution. By continuing to work together, in our complementary ways, the United States and China can achieve more. In this regard we urge China to reassess its recent decision to provide the Government of Sudan with an interest-free loan to build a presidential palace. We believe extending such a loan would clearly send the wrong message to Khartoum. We hope that you will reconsider the loan and impress upon President al-Bashir the need to halt Sudan's military operations throughout Darfur, to withdraw Sudanese troops from the area, and to follow through on its agreement to accept a robust AU/UN peacekeeping force in Darfur. These steps, at a minimum, are essential to enforce the ceasefire, protect civilians, ensure access to humanitarian assistance, and begin the path to reconstruction and reconciliation in Darfur.

As Members of the U.S. Senate, our primary objectives in this endeavor, and those of our constituents across the United States, are to protect civilians in Darfur, end the violence, find a just resolution to the political conflict, and begin the long path to reconstruction and reconciliation.