Hi All, I just had to share with you the response I just got from one of my Senators regarding the letter that I just posted this morning regarding U.S. plans for intervening in Syria. You just cant make this s*** up: Dear Mr. Laubach: Thank you for taking the time to contact me regarding the situation in the Republic of South Sudan. I appreciate hearing from you about this issue. On July 9, 2011, South Sudan officially declared its independence from the Government of Sudan. After a half century of war and the loss of two million people, the South Sudanese gained the ability to determine their own future. Their newfound independence is a testament to the will of the people of South Sudan and to the tireless diplomatic efforts of both parties to the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA). However, less than three years after South Sudan declared its independence, growing political tensions in South Sudan erupted into violence in December 2013. South Sudanese President Salva Kiir accused soldiers loyal to former Vice President Riek Machar of trying to overthrow the government. According to reports, the conflict is not solely based on ethnic lines; however preexisting ethnic and political problems exacerbated the crisis. Mr. Kiir is an ethnic Dinka while Mr. Machar is a Nuer. These groups have historically clashed over political and resource issues. The violence has caused insecurity, a humanitarian crisis, and threatened the stability of the world’s newest country. On December 24, 2013, Secretary of State John Kerry urged both South Sudanese President Salva Kiir and former Vice President Riek Machar to accept a cessation of hostilities and begin talks. Secretary Kerry also stated that “the United States and other partners are committed to the realization of South Sudan’s full political, social, and economic potential, but make no mistake: these cooperative efforts will be undermined if political disputes drag the country back into senseless conflict and strife.” Due to the escalation in violence and deadly assault on UN peacekeepers, the United States suspended it operations at the U.S. Embassy and evacuated Americans from Bor, South Sudan in December, 2013. According to the United Nations Mission in the Republic of South Sudan (UNMISS), more than half a million people have been displaced since the start of the fighting, with approximately one million in need of aid. According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), approximately 100,000 South Sudanese refugees have fled to neighboring African countries, and 490,000 South Sudanese are currently internally displaced. UNHCR has also launched an immunization program to combat the spread of measles among South Sudanese refugees. The U.S. remains one of the largest providers of unilateral support for South Sudan and provides some funding to UNMISS. According to the State Department, the U.S. has allocated $49.8 million in additional humanitarian assistance to help victims of conflict in South Sudan. This additional assistance increases total U.S. aid to more than $300 million in humanitarian assistance to assist South Sudanese victims of conflict. After weeks of devastating fighting, a ceasefire agreement was signed between the Government of South Sudan and opposition forces in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on January 23, 2014. Despite this ceasefire agreement, fighting continued to escalate between the government and rebel forces. On May 1, 2014, Secretary Kerry traveled to the region to address the humanitarian crisis and to encourage the South Sudanese government to hold peace talks with the rebels. Additionally, Secretary Kerry urged international peacekeepers with a U.N. mandate to “get on the ground fast to separate the warring factions” and avoid widespread famine and genocide. President Kiir and former Vice President Machar came together on May 10, 2014, to sign an agreement to end the civil war; however, violations have since occurred on both sides, thereby exacerbating the humanitarian and food crises. On May 28, 2014, the UN Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 2155, which re-focused all peacekeeping operations in South Sudan towards safeguarding civilians threatened by the ethnic violence and political instability and extended the UN mission until November 30, 2014. This resolution increased the number of UNMISS’s troops to 12,500 and 1,323 police personnel. The United States must continue to help promote an end to the violence. I will continue to support robust international assistance, including for food security programs. U.S. international assistance can have a significant positive impact on the lives of poor and underserved individuals and communities around the world. In 2009, I joined Senator Richard Lugar in introducing the Global Food Security Act, which seeks to mitigate hunger and alleviate cycles of poverty by improving the agricultural practices of farmers in developing countries. The FY15 Senate Appropriations bill includes $1.895 billion in international disaster assistance. These funds will be used in part to maintain food security in South Sudan and stave off starvation. Please be assured that I will continue to monitor developments in South Sudan. Again, thank you for sharing your thoughts with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me in the future about this or any other matter of importance to you. For more information on this or other issues, I encourage you to visit my website, casey.senate.gov. I hope you will find this online office a comprehensive resource to stay up-to-date on my work in Washington, request assistance from my office or share with me your thoughts on the issues that matter most to you and to Pennsylvania. Sincerely, Bob Casey United States Senator
Posted on: Thu, 28 Aug 2014 04:09:25 +0000
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