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 Home > News & Policies > May 2007

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
May 29, 2007

Fact Sheet: Fighting Genocide in Darfur
President Bush Announces Increased Sanctions Against The Government Of Sudan

     Fact sheet President Bush Discusses Genocide in Darfur, Implements Sanctions

Today, President Bush Announced The Expansion And Tightening Of Economic Sanctions Against The Government Of Sudan.  The United States is now taking the steps the President outlined last month because the government of Sudan continues to violate its numerous commitments to stop the violence and suffering in Darfur.

  • President Bush Announced These Steps Last Month In A Speech At The U.S. Holocaust Museum. The U.S. held off on implementing them because the United Nations believed President Bashir should be given a “last chance” to meet his obligations to stop the killing.  It is now clear that he has continued to break his word.
  • The World Has A Responsibility To Help Put An End To The Genocide In Darfur.  The people of Darfur have suffered for too long at the hands of a government that is complicit in the bombing, murder, and rape of innocent civilians.  The Bush administration has called these actions by their rightful name: genocide. 

President Bashir Has Not Fulfilled His Obligations To Stop The Violence in Darfur

President Bashir Has Not Met His Obligations, And The Dire Security Situation On The Ground In Darfur Has Not Changed.  President Bashir’s actions over the past few weeks follow a long pattern of promising cooperation while finding new methods of obstruction. 

  • One day after President Bush spoke about this matter last month, President Bashir’s military bombed a meeting of rebel commanders designed to discuss a possible peace deal with the government. 
  • In the following weeks, he used his Army and government-sponsored militias to attack rebels and civilians in south Darfur.
  • He has taken no steps to disarm these militias in the year since the Darfur Peace Agreement was signed.
  • His senior officials have continued to oppose deployment of the UN Peacekeeping Force. 

Today, The U.S. Is Taking The Steps President Bush Announced In April

The Department Of Treasury Is Tightening U.S. Economic Sanctions On Sudan.

  • With this new effort, the United States will more aggressively enforce existing sanctions against Sudan's Government.
  • The Treasury Department will add 30 companies owned or controlled by the Government of Sudan to its list of Specially Designated Nationals. 
  • The U.S. is also targeting an additional company that has been transporting weapons to the Sudanese government and militia forces in Darfur. 
  • All these companies are barred from the U.S. financial system, and it is a crime for American companies and individuals to knowingly do business with them.

The U.S. Is Targeting Sanctions Against Individuals Responsible For Violence. 

  • These sanctions will isolate these persons by cutting them off from the U.S. financial system, barring them from doing business with any American citizen or company, and calling the world’s attention to their crimes.

The President Is Directing The Secretary Of State To Consult With The United Kingdom And Other Allies On A New United Nations Security Council Resolution.

  • This resolution will apply new sanctions against the Government of Sudan and against individuals found to be violating human rights or obstructing the peace process.
  • It will impose an expanded embargo on arms sales to the Government of Sudan.
  • It will prohibit Sudan’s Government from conducting any offensive military flights over Darfur. 
  • It will strengthen the international community’s ability to monitor and report any violations. 

Today’s Action Builds On Previous U.S. Efforts To Achieve Peace In Darfur

America’s Commitment Is Clear, And We Are Working For The Day When The Families Of This Troubled Region Are Able To Return Safely To Their Homes And Rebuild Their Lives In Peace.

  • Since this conflict began, we have provided more than $1.7 billion in humanitarian and peacekeeping assistance for Darfur.
  • The U.S. is the world’s largest single donor to the people of Darfur. 

The U.S. Will Continue To Push For UN Support For African Union Peacekeepers And Quick Transition To A UN-African Union Force. 

  • African Union peacekeepers remain the only force in Darfur that is protecting the people. 
  • The U.S. will continue to work for the deployment of a larger, hybrid force of African Union and UN peacekeeping troops.
  • We will continue to support the diplomacy of UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon.
  • The U.S. will also continue to insist on the full implementation of the Darfur Peace Agreement.
  • The U.S. will continue to promote a broadly supported and inclusive political settlement that is the only long-term solution for the crisis in Darfur.

The United States Will Not Avert Our Eyes From A Crisis That Challenges The Conscience Of The World

  • The people of Darfur are crying out for our help – and they deserve it. 
  • The United Nations Security Council, the African Union, and all members of the international community must reject efforts to obstruct implementation of the agreements that would bring peace to Darfur and Sudan. 
  • President Bashir should stop his obstruction, allow the peacekeepers in, and end the campaign of violence that continues to target innocent men, women, and children.

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