Lawmakers in the House and Senate are pushing bipartisan measures to increase U.S. support for Sudan as the country enters into the fourth year of a brutal civil war and humanitarian crisis.
In the Senate, Foreign Relations Chairman Jim Risch, R-Idaho, with Sen. Chris Coons, D-Del., on Tuesday introduced a bill to address the ongoing conflict in Sudan. The measure is supported by Sens. Jeanne Shaheen, D-N.H., and John Cornyn, R-Texas.
The bill calls on Secretary of State Marco Rubio to “assess whether armed actors in Sudan meet the criteria for designation as Specially Designated Global Terrorists” and extends the authorization for a U.S. special envoy for Sudan.
Since 2023, civil war has raged in the country, which is locked in an ongoing power struggle between the government-backed Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Mediation efforts have stalled, and experts say the country faces one of the world’s largest hunger crises and rate of internal displacement.
“The war in Sudan is a humanitarian catastrophe, a source of instability in Africa, and a threat to U.S. national security,” Risch said in a statement. “We cannot allow Sudan to continue devolving into chaos, causing uncontrolled migration, human suffering, and serving as a haven for terrorists.”
Meanwhile, the House Foreign Affairs Committee on Tuesday advanced, 34-5, a bill that would direct the administration to impose sanctions and report on individuals committing atrocities, blocking humanitarian aid or violating the arms embargo in Sudan.
That measure, introduced by ranking member Gregory W. Meeks, D-N.Y., and co-sponsored by Rep. Sara Jacobs, D-Calif., would also bolster a U.S. envoy in Sudan and authorize U.S. assistance for a stabilizing force in the country.
“Sudan remains the largest and most devastating humanitarian crisis in the world due to the ongoing, brutal conflict between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces,” Meeks and Jacobs said in a joint statement. “While more is needed to address the critical role external actors play in fueling Sudan’s conflict, the U.S. Engagement in Sudanese Peace Act sends a powerful signal that the U.S. has not forgotten the Sudanese people and remains committed to bringing their suffering and this conflict to a sustainable end.”
