U.S. Representative Chris Smith (R-NJ) – Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Africa, Global Human Rights and International Operations – will travel to Ethiopia and Sudan from August 14-20. Chairman Smith hopes to address critical issues threatening peace, human rights and development in the two East African nations, as well as engage the African Union in discussions of joint projects, such as the AU peacekeeping mission in Darfur, Sudan. 

    Smith will arrive in Ethiopia on Sunday evening and meet with the Prime Minister and the Minister of Foreign Affairs. He will discuss the resolution of the boundary dispute with Eritrea – in particular the adherence of the Ethiopians to the boundary commission decision. While in Ethiopia, he will also meet with electoral officials and representatives of the ruling and opposition political parties to discuss the electoral stalemate in Ethiopia. At least 36 persons were killed by authorities in June while protesting the delay in releasing election results, which were finally made public yesterday.

    “Ethiopia is an American ally, and its stability is in our national interest,” said Chairman Smith. “The war with Eritrea was ended in part on the promise to resolve the border dispute, and failure to respect the decision of the boundary commission could lead to renewed fighting. I also plan to discuss electoral issues – particularly growing frustration from voting rights violations that have the potential to cause wider social problems beyond the protests we’ve seen thus far."

    Chairman Smith also will meet with officials from the African Union to discuss projects of mutual concern such as peacekeeping, peer review and election observations to determine AU capacity and intentions. Moreover, Smith expects to meet with Ethiopian Christian and Muslim religious leaders to discuss ways that the two religions can work together to overcome growing divisions in what was once a predominantly Christian nation. Smith will discuss the Millennium Water Project and visit a hospital performing fistula surgeries – an issue in which he has been at the forefront in Congress. He recently authored an amendment to the Foreign Relations Authorization Act that will help thousands of women suffering from fistula in Africa.

    “An estimated two million women globally suffer from fistula, which is responsible for about eight percent of the worldwide annual maternal deaths. These can be treated with a relatively minor surgical procedure that costs as little as $150 per patient.” Smith explained. “The center in Ethiopia is a model that we hope to use in developing other such centers to help women who suffer needlessly from this terrible condition.” 

    In Sudan, Chairman Smith will meet with Sudanese government leaders and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement to discuss continuity following the death of Vice President John Garang and continued prospects for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement that created a national unity government. Smith is expected to be the first elected American official to meet with the President of Sudan in the aftermath of Garang’s death. He also will meet with Christian and Muslim religious leaders to encourage continuation of the peace process and focus on overcoming the racial and ethnic divisions that caused the civil war.

    “The people of Sudan must continue forward on the path toward peace and progress,” said Smith. Vice President Garang spent much of his life working to secure a better future for them and the only way forward is to ensure that his efforts to secure peace, stability and justice in the region are continued.” 

    During his time in Sudan, Smith will visit refugee camps in the Darfur region to determine whether supplies are reaching the refugees unimpeded and whether ongoing attacks on refugees have subsided. Chairman Smith is co-sponsor of the “Darfur Peace and Accountability Act of 2005,” which supports the AU mission to keep the peace in Darfur and ensure survival of Sudanese refugees. The bill also holds to account those who committed genocide in Darfur. 

    “Even though the number of deaths in Darfur has fallen in recent months, the suffering of the refugees continues, and effective planning must be in place for restoring these people to lives of normalcy,” Smith said.

    Also on Smith’s agenda in Sudan is a meeting with the Committee for the Eradication of Abduction of Women and Children, a Sudanese NGO combating trafficking in persons with funding from the Sudanese government. Smith was the original author of the “Victims of Trafficking and Violence Protection Act,” which became law in 2000, and has introduced the “Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act of 2005” which not only reauthorizes but strengthens the law.

    “It is intolerable that in the 21^st century people are being kidnapped and forced into slavery,” said Smith. For some time, Sudan has been the epicenter of continued chattel slavery around the world. We need to encourage and foster ways for the Sudanese government and people to work together to finally end this ancient evil.”

    Smith will return to the United States on August 21^st.