Despite numerous peace agreements and resolutions, the humanitarian crisis in Darfur has continued to worsen. Thus far, as many as 300,000 Darfurians have been killed, and more than 2.7 million have been displaced -- with the majority of victims being women and children. A number of humanitarian operations have also been attacked and disrupted, leaving millions of people without access to basic assistance. In addition, years of intensifying conflict between the Sudanese army, its Janjaweed militias, and the growing number of rebel factions, has spread the conflict to areas of Chad, the Central African Republic, and Sudanese states to the east of Darfur.
I believe that the United States, in conjunction with the U.N., must make greater strides to bring the crisis to an end, and I have continually supported efforts aimed at achieving this goal. I supported legislation calling on the U.N. Security Council to approve a trained and adequate Darfur peacekeeping mission; emergency appropriations increasing funding of the African Union peacekeepers; and legislation directing the President to block the assets of, and deny visas and U.S. entry to, any individual associated with acts of genocide, war crimes or crimes against humanity in Sudan. I will continue to support efforts to end the atrocities and provide humanitarian assistance to the people in Darfur.