U.S. Rep. Tom Rooney, R-Fla., one of the co-chairs of the South Sudan Caucus, has been doubling down on his efforts to ensure a weapons ban on that African nation.
Rooney brought out his proposal to stop the sale of weapons to South Sudan in September and he ramped up his activities throughout December.
Speaking at the U.S. Institute of Peace’s “Options to Prevent Mass Atrocities and Genocide in the World’s Newest Country” even earlier this month, Rooney, who sits on the State and Foreign Operations Appropriations Subcommittee, showcased the problems in the South Sudan which include massive rape and 8 million people facing low or no levels of food. The situation has led to more than 3 million refugees.
“It’s unacceptable that we’ve all failed to join forces and take collective action to mitigate the scale of the violence in South Sudan,” Rooney said. “Words will not stop South Sudan’s leaders from starving, raping, brutalizing and murdering thousands upon thousands of its own people. We have a responsibility to show the leaders of South Sudan that their behavior does not put them on equal standing with the rest of the world.”
Rooney urged more UN action on South Sudan, insisting the Obama administration was finally willing to do more to alleviate the chaos in that nation.
“We’ve finally gotten to a point where this administration and Ambassador Power are willing to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan,” Rooney said. “I don’t know what the new year and new administration will bring – but I do know how this city works – and we don’t have the time to wait and see. We need to use this political capital now. We have undeniable evidence of a catastrophe unfolding – and history will not excuse our inaction.”
Last week, Rooney rounded up almost 20 members of Congress to sign on to a letter sent to all 15 members of the United Nations Security Council, urging them to support an arms ban.
“Congress has been calling for the administration and the Security Council to impose an arms embargo on South Sudan for over two years now. What I cannot grasp is why that has not happened yet,” Rooney said. “What I do not understand is why – when we know that the government is spending whatever money it can scrounge up not to feed its starving people – but to purchase attack helicopters, armored vehicles and arms to kill its own people. The people of South Sudan need the leadership of the international community to help bring peace to their country and stop the senseless and brutal violence being carried out by their own government.
“Given the undeniable evidence of a catastrophe unfolding, I implore those members of the Security Council to be on the right side of history, and humanity, and publicly commit to support an arms embargo," Rooney added. “Words will not stop South Sudan’s leaders from starving, raping, brutalizing and murdering thousands upon thousands of its own people.”
U.S. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer, D-Md., and U.S. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-NY, the ranking Democrat on the U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee, signed on to the letter. So did Republican U.S. Rep. Ted Yoho and Democrat U.S. Rep. Alcee Hastings from Florida. \
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