Washington, D.C. — By a huge 422-2 margin the U.S. House of Representatives has approved the "Sudan Peace Act" authorizing President Bush to make US$10 million under the Foreign Operations, Export Financing and Related Operations Appropriations Act, "promptly" available to southern Sudanese rebels.
The legislation, sponsored by Colorado Republican Tom Tancredo, contains a bundle of tough measures aimed at pressuring Sudan's government to end its war in the south where for 18 years rebels have been fighting for autonomy.
The bill requires all companies doing business in the Sudan to completely divulge their activities in order to be listed on the stock exchange. By a voice vote, the House approved an amendment prohibiting foreign companies from being listed on the U.S. stock exchange if they engage in oil exploration in Sudan. U.S. companies are already forbidden from oil operations there.
Rebels have long claimed that oil revenues finance the government's war effort and effectively finance human rights abuses by the government.
The bill accuses Sudan's government of using selective bans on relief flights to the south to create food shortages "in a policy of low-intensity ethnic cleansing."
In rebel-held areas, the bill charges that the Sudanese government "utilizes and organizes militias, Popular Defense Forces, and other irregular units for raiding and enslaving parties."
The bill calls for reform of international relief efforts in Sudan and urges development of a contingency plan to provide the greatest amount of U.S. assistance.
Secretary of State Colin Powell is required by the bill to submit an annual report on the Sudanese conflict that includes descriptions of whether humanitarian aid has been manipulated by the government, the extent of aerial bombardment and the status of oil pipeline construction and financing.
The bill also calls on the administration to to use "all means of pressure available to facilitate a comprehensive solution to the war in Sudan."
The House vote now moves the debate to the Senate where similar legislation is pending.
