Dear Keen,

Thank you for contacting me regarding the violence perpetrated in Darfur, Sudan . It is good to hear from you.

Like you, I am deeply concerned for those suffering in Darfur, Sudan . As you may know, Sudan has been ravaged by civil war for over two decades. More than 2 million people have died in Southern Sudan due to war-related causes and famine, and over 4 million have been displaced from their homes.

On January 9, 2005, the Sudanese government and Sudan People’s Liberation Movement signed the Comprehensive Peace Agreement officially ending the civil war. Nevertheless, violence has continued unabated particularly in the Darfur region. The Sudanese government has encouraged the horse-mounted militia, known as the Janjaweed, to retaliate on rebel groups within the region. However, the Janjaweed continue to carry out systematic assaults against innocent civilians. It is estimated that over 200,000 people have died from this conflict or from malnutrition resulting from this violence.

I am particularly concerned that the People’s Republic of China (PRC) continually show s support for the Sudanese government. Rather then condemning such actions, the PRC has protected the Sudanese government at global forums like the United Nations. In addition, the PRC increased its trade relationships with Sudan in 2007. This support only encourages the Sudanese government’s flagrant disregard for human life. To a ddress this critical situation, I voted four times in 2007 to stop the suffering in Darfur including increasing economic sanctions against companies do ing business in Sudan ‘s energy and military industries . This legislation was signed by President Bush into law December 2007 (P . L . 110-174) . More recently, the House of Representatives sen t a letter to President Hu of China urging him to use his influence to stop the genocide. You will be pleased to know that I have co-s igned this letter. In light of your interest in this important issue, I have enclosed a copy of the letter.

Thank you again for contacting me about this issue. Your input is important to my work here in Washington.

P.S. Communicating with the people I represent is very important to me. If you would like to stay informed of my activities in Congress, please visit http://manzullo.house.gov and sign up for my email updates. You can register to receive my e-newsletter, all my news releases, and updates on various issues.

Sincerely,
/m/
Donald A. Manzullo
Member of Congress

Sent by Keen Nyamwange.