U.S. Rep. Chris Smith (R-NJ), Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations, today praised President Bush for calling for more UN Peacekeepers for the embattled Darfur region of Sudan and proposing an increase in US food aid. On Friday, Smith expressed hope that a peace deal signed by the largest Darfur rebel group and the government of Sudan could be “the first step toward peace and stability” in the region.

    “On the heels of the peace agreement, the proposals offered by President Bush today are reflective of his strong leadership on Darfur,” said Smith, who led a mission to refugee camps in Darfur and met face-to-face with President Bashir this past August. “Our first priority must be to help create a sense of security so that refugees and IDPs (internally displaced persons) can return to their homes and rebuild. Today’s actions are another step in that direction.” 

    Earlier today, President Bush announced his intention to ask Congress for an additional $225 million in emergency food aid for Darfur. The President also announced that he had directed five US ships loaded with food to head to Port Sudan and had ordered the emergency purchase of another 40,000 metric tons of food for rapid shipment. Tomorrow, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice will go to the UN seeking a resolution to expedite the deployment of additional peacekeepers to the region. 

    “Though we have much more to do in order to achieve a lasting peace, it is my hope that the momentum toward that goal continues to grow,” said Smith. 

    At the signing of the Darfur peace accord in Abuja last week, Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo pledged to press the African Union (AU) to give the rebel movements not signed onto the peace accord a deadline by which they had to accept the agreement or be declared rebels. An AU declaration on the status of the rebels likely will take place before the body’s heads of state and government meet in early July.

    The United States has provided more than $617 million in assistance to help ease the suffering of those most affected by the conflict, and more than $150 million to support the African Union mission in Darfur.