The Sudan Peace, Security and Accountability Act of 2013 (H.R. 1692) promises to provide a new approach to Sudan. The bill would allow the US to more effectively promote human rights and conflict resolution in Sudan. H.R. 1692 focuses primarily on creating a comprehensive strategy that would require various government agencies to coordinate heavily. Second, the bill outlines how the US can support a democratic transition and replace Omar al-Bashir. Third, H.R 1692 details how to improve the delivery of humanitarian aid and ensure that aid continues to flow. Fourth, if the bill were to pass, new sanctions targeted at Sudanese officials would be implemented and old sanctions would be improved. Fifth, H.R. 1692 also encourages coordination among U.S. allies on the enforcement of these sanctions. Finally, the bill strengthens existing mechanisms for ensuring accountability for human rights violations committed by members of the Sudanese government.

H.R. 1692 is not the first iteration of the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act. A2012 version was introduced, but unfortunately died in committee. Lawmakers have written in several important changes in the most recent version:
The bill stresses that while a comprehensive solution to conflict in Sudan should work in tandem with negotiations between Sudan and South Sudan, North-South diplomacy should not impede or condition the other set of talks.
This new bill is especially focused on working with other allies to coordinate policy and actions on Sudan, which is undeniably important.

Like the past version, H.R. 1692 asks the United Nations Security Council to implement a Sudan-wide peacekeeping mission. However, a change in wording stipulates that this mission would have a human rights monitoring component.
This bill focuses much more on the inclusiveness of the democratic process than last year’s version. The bill has a fairly expansive definition of who should be taken into account in a future democratic transition,

“…including those institutions and organizations that can represent and articulate the demands of marginalized constituencies, such as the peripheries, youth, women, nomads, and urban and rural poor…”

This bill is the first to introduce sanctions against a government because it is failing to execute an ICC arrest warrant, in this case, against any Sudanese government official.

US legislation on Sudan is sorely outdated, and H.R. 1692 would provide a much-need update. The current framing piece of Sudan legislation is the Sudan Peace Act from 2002. This long predates the Comprehensive Peace Agreement from 2005 and South Sudan’s independence in 2011. The Sudan Peace Act is too focused on events in Darfur, and H.R. 1692 would support a more comprehensive look at conflicts across Sudan. Nicholas Kristof is right that the bill will not solve Sudan’s problems. However, H.R. 1692 would be a huge step forward for U.S. policy on Sudan.

One of the best ways to have a voice on U.S. policy is through a face­-to-­face meeting with an elected official.  An in-­district meeting with staff members of one’s Representative is a really important step, and one of the most effective, that can be taken to move H.R. 1692, the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2013 forward.

Lobbying your elected officials can have a real impact. In Alabama, for example, a September meeting with an activist helped Congressman Bachus, a previous advocate for Sudan unaware of the new legislation, become a cosponsor of H.R. 1692 just five days after the meeting.

While it’s completely natural to be nervous about meeting with a Member of Congress, it’s important to keep in mind that it is their job to meet with you and represent your interests. An in-­person meeting is at its core just a conversation, and not something that needs to be very intimidating.  The short term goal of such a meeting is to get the elected official to take action on the ask you present and to educate the representative, while the long term goal is to develop a relationship with the office.

If you offer yourself and your chapter as a resource that can make their job easier, STAND can have a lot of influence in the future.  Even as a college student who may be leaving in a year or two, developing a strong relationship between your STAND chapter and the office is an important legacy to pass on to future students and will enable this to remain a priority in the town where you went to school long after you graduate.

A meeting with the staff of a Representative on H.R. 1692 would typically be structured as:

1. Introductions of yourselves and groups to which you are connected.
2. Thank the staff member for their time, and for the Member of Congress’ past support on any relevant issues such as Sudan, mass atrocities, or human rights.
3. Someone in the group shares his or her personal story explaining his or her connection to the issue and why it is important.
4. One or two group members will give a (very brief) overview of the conflicts in Sudan and what the current situation is. It might be a good idea to begin by asking the staffer how knowledgeable he/she is on Sudan and proceed from there.
5. Make the ask- Urge the Representative to cosponsor and support H.R. 1692, and/or ask their colleagues in the House to do the same.
6. Thank the staff member again for his or her time, and set a date to follow up.

To help you along the way, keep in mind the following points:

• Inform yourselves. Read and understand the bill, brush up on the legislative process, read these FAQs, and get up to date on the renewed violence.
• Go prepared. Write out a script (or customize a version available online) and divide up the talking points ahead of time. Print out one-­pagers such as those here to leave behind with the staff. Here’s a helpful step-by-step guide of how to set up a meet and make sure you’re ready!
• Do your research. Know the Representative’s history of support for these issues, what their motivations might be for cosponsorship (moral? national security/practical? etc.), some of their
• personal background (i.e. hometown and alma mater, in case there are any connections), and any relevant committees on which they sit.
• Act professionally. Be on time, be polite, and dress appropriately.
• Keep it short. Plan for only about 15 minutes, and be flexible if the staff has less or more time to give you.
• Identify yourselves. The more influential you demonstrate yourself to be (through connections in the area such as family or school, and national reputation as STAND), the more likely it is that the Representative will take action on H.R. 1692.  Telling that short story about yourself makes the conversation more personal, relatable, and helps to build a relationship.
• Ask for a firm commitment.  Ask if they plan to cosponsor H.R. 1692.  If yes, thank them, if no or unsure, ask if they need additional information to help them decide.  Ask when you can follow up (and by phone or email) ­ should be no more than one or two weeks later.
• Follow up. It is the most important part of the meeting.

On December 4th, I’ll be discussing these and other key tips for preparing for, having, and following up on an in­-district meeting.  Be sure to join us for the online workshop at 8pm EST to get excited about moving H.R. 1692 through Congress!

These tools should ensure you will be ready to lead the conversation on Sudan during your meeting. We are also always available for you to contact if you need help along the way or have any questions about scheduling a meeting.

Email Rachel Finn (rfinn@enoughproject.org) or Sean Langberg (slangberg@standnow.org) for more information.

2013 marks the 10 year anniversary of the beginning of the genocide in Darfur. Last week, Nicholas Kristof, American journalist and activist, published this op-ed in the New York Times, entitled “Darfur in 2013 Sounds Awfully Familiar.” In this op-ed, Kristof writes that while the media has largely stopped covering the slaughter of Sudanese by its own government, the violence continues.

The UN reports that so far this year 300,000 people have fledthe fighting in Darfur, which is more than in the past two years combined. According to the same UN report, people are fleeing “inter-ethnic community violence, or conflict between rebel movements and government forces, much of which is driven by the struggle for resources such as land, water, cattle, and gold.” Darfur continues to rank as one of the world’s largest humanitarian operations, with more than one million people living in camps. According to Kristof, the current violence in Darfur is committed by Khartoum’s government against two previously untargeted Arab ethnic groups: the Salamat and the Beni Hussein. Sudan’s government covets gold that has been discovered on the land of the Beni Hussein. The government distrusts the Salamat as potentially disloyal to the regime and are being expelled so the government can give their land to the Miseriya, an Arab group more loyal to the regime. Inter-communal violence also exists. The Miseriya and the Salamat tribes began feuding on Friday, and so far 94 have been killed. This is particularly remarkable given that these two tribes signed a peace agreement on July 3. The Reizegat and Beni Hussein tribes have also experienced conflict, which began last January over control of the region’s gold mines. The two tribes signed a peace pact on Thursday.

Kristof also published an op-ed last week, entitled “A Policy of Rape Continues,” which details the rape of a Salamat girl and describes the Sudanese government’s strategy of using rape to humiliate targeted ethnic groups.

In late April, the Senate introduced the Sudan Peace, Security, and Accountability Act of 2013, which remains in committee. It attempts to shine a spotlight on the abuses in Sudan and create a strategy to combat these abuses. In June, the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission held a hearing on human rights abuses in Sudan, at which John Prendergast of the Enough Project gave several examples of action the US government could take – read histestimony for details.

While the world waits, the violence continues. For additional coverage of this ongoing conflict, check out Radio Dabanga and Sudan Reeves.