U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Africa, has introduced a bipartisan House Resolution calling for the immediate appointment of a U.S. Special Envoy to Sudan as the country descends further into genocidal violence, mass displacement, and humanitarian collapse.

“HRes 479 is an instrument of strength that will provide the President and Secretary of State with the tools and information needed to end the war, deliver aid, and protect American national security interests,” said Rep. Smith. 

 “The twin butchers of Sudan have displaced 13,000,000 Sudanese civilians and left over half of Sudan’s population in need of urgent humanitarian assistance,” said Smith who last month applauded President Trump when he placed new sanctions on Sudan in response to that government’s violations of the Chemical and Biological Weapons and Warfare Elimination Act of 1991. 

“Sudan has become a playground for external actors to loot gold, smuggle arms, and exploit the power vacuum to prolong the war for their own gain while perpetrating an appalling range of harrowing human rights violations and international crimes,” Smith said.

Subcommittee Chairman Smith has been an advocate for peace and human rights in Sudan over the last three decades having led a critical human rights mission to Darfur and chairing multiple hearings on the humanitarian crisis there over the years.

Smith’s latest hearing on Sudan was on May 22, entitled “A Dire Crisis in Sudan: A Global Call to Action,” where he condemned Sudan’s military leaders on both sides of this conflict to end the atrocities and face justice.

“Each murdered or displaced civilian is a person, a person whose life has been taken or irrevocably changed by these atrocities,” Smith said in his hearing remarks. “The world must respond with strength, not silence.” Click here to read Chairman Smith’s full opening remarks

Smith’s HRes 479 calls for the immediate appointment of a Special Envoy for Sudan to assist in ending the conflict, delivering aid, and ensuring accountability. This bipartisan resolution prioritizes Sudan, seeks robust humanitarian support, and backs war crime accountability, emphasizing its critical role for regional stability and U.S. security.

This resolution is backed by six original cosponsors: Reps. Michael McCaul (R-TX), Sara Jacobs (D-CA), Aumua Amata Radewagen (R-AS), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), John James (R-MI), and Richard McCormick (R-GA).

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