Rebel forces are poised to take the capital of Darfur, El Fasher. This comes after weeks of heavy fighting in the region forcing even more people to flee. Every time we think the situation in Sudan has gotten as bad as it can get, it gets worse. Despite the United Nations’ plea for a ceasefire for Ramadan, nothing has improved for the people of that nation. As the crisis deepens let’s urge our Members of Congress to take effective action to help end the violence in Sudan.
Senators Benjamin Cardin (D-MD) and James Risch (R-ID) and Representatives Michael McCaul (R, TX-10) and Gregory Meeks (D, NY-5) have introduced companion resolutions to help end the violence in Sudan in the Senate (S.Con.Res.24) and the House (H.Res.982).
Uyghurs in China
If you are looking for an example of modern day slavery, you need look no further than the Xinjiang region of China. People belonging to ethnic, cultural, and religious groups in northwestern China, including Uyghurs, Kazakhs, Kyrgyz, and Hui, are currently the target of the largest organized detention of an ethno-religious minority the world has seen since World War II. Since 2017, over one million have been detained. Detainees are made to work under constant surveillance, with assigned minders and no freedom to leave.
The Uyghur Policy Act was introduced in the U.S. House by Representatives (H.R. 2766) by Reps. Young Kim (R-CA) and Ami Bera (D-CA) and the U.S. Senate (S.1252) by Senator Marco Rubio (R, FL). The bill would ensure that the US provides increased support for the Uyghur diaspora and for Uyghurs suffering from human rights abuses in China.
On February 15th, the House passed H.R. 2766 by an overwhelming vote of 414 to 6. Now we turn to the Senate to pass the companion bill, S.1252.
Click here to tell your U.S. senators to support and co-sponsor the Uyghur Policy Act.
Armenians were forced out of Azerbaijan
As of January 1, 2024, the Armenian enclave of Artsak (Nagorono-Karabakh) no longer exists. That means Azerbaijani troops’ brutal assault on the region forced about 120,000 people — whose families had called the area home for centuries — to flee to Armenia. This second genocide of Armenians cannot go unanswered.
The United States must stand up to this aggression. A bipartisan group of Members of Congress have introduced the Supporting Armenians Against Azerbaijani Aggression Act in both the Senate (S.2900) and the House (H.R.5683).
Click here to tell your Members of Congress to stand up for Armenians at risk in Azerbaijan.
It’s time to fund the Burma Act
As Congress prepares the Fiscal Year 2025 Department of State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) appropriations budget, we are urging that Congress appropriate sufficient money to fully implement the BURMA Act, while continuing essential assistance in the face of the ongoing political and humanitarian crisis in Burma.
The people of Burma continue to struggle in the aftermath of the Burmese military’s February 2021 coup. The United States must provide the funding required to support pro-democracy stakeholders in Burma, isolate the Burmese military diplomatically and economically, and push for a peaceful end to the crisis and facilitate a pathway to democracy for its people.