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Congress is moving to put more pressure on Sudan’s warring factions, as the three-year war perpetuates one of the globe’s worst humanitarian crises.
The House Foreign Affairs Committee advanced legislation on Tuesday to authorize sanctions on the parties involved in the war, while the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee led a group in introducing similar legislation a day later. Both proposals have bipartisan support.
Sen. Jim Risch, R-Idaho, who leads the Foreign Relations Committee, said the panel would consider his bill next week. “The efforts of both the Senate and House this month reflect the urgency of addressing the crisis in Sudan,” he said, noting that the Senate is engaging with the House on the efforts.
Meanwhile, the House bill, which is led by Democrats, passed the Foreign Affairs Committee in a 34-5 vote after the panel adopted minor amendments.
Rep. Brian Mast, R-Fla., the Foreign Affairs Committee chair said the bill would put President Donald Trump’s administration in “the best possible place to negotiate” with both warring sides. The bill would require an assessment of figures blocking humanitarian aid delivery, extend the authorization for the vacant Special Envoy to Sudan position, and direct the State Department to designate the Rapid Support Forces as a group for sanctions.
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Risch’s bill — also backed by Sens. John Cornyn, R-Texas, Chris Coons, D-Del., and Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H. — would also support a new sanctions regime and extend the special envoy role’s authorization. However, it would also require executive branch reports on foreign government involvement in the conflict and assessments on whether twenty named armed groups — including Russia’s Wagner Group and the Desert Wolves group from Colombia — meet the criteria for designation as terrorists.
Meanwhile, the conflict shows no signs of abating. The RSF and Sudanese Armed Forces have both been accused of atrocities against civilians, and the RSF has been accused of a genocidal campaign in Darfur.