Van Hollen Statement on Senate Foreign Relations Votes on Amendments to Hold UAE and Others Accountable for Fueling Civil War in Sudan

Today, U.S. Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) released the following statement regarding the Senate Foreign Relations Committee's vote on amendments he offered during the Committee's legislative markup to use U.S. leverage to help bring the civil war in Sudan to an end. The Senator's first amendment, mirroring his Stand Up for Sudan Act, would prevent U.S. arms sales to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) until the UAE is no longer providing materiel support to the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) - a paramilitary group in Sudan that has committed genocide and is prolonging the country's civil war and fueling the current humanitarian catastrophe. The Senator offered an additional amendment that would prohibit major arms sales to any country that supplies materiel to the RSF or the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF). The Senator's amendments received bipartisan support and backing from a majority of the Democrats on the Committee.

"For more than three years, death and destruction have torn apart Sudan. The ongoing violence and dire humanitarian situation on the ground in Sudan demand immediate U.S. action. We should be using all our leverage to help bring this war to an end - and that includes holding accountable those external actors who are aiding and abetting it, most notably the UAE, who have been consistently arming the RSF. That's why today, I offered two amendments that would halt U.S. support to the UAE or any actor that is arming the RSF or SAF. While these proposals did not advance, it's notable that my colleagues did not argue with the objective of my amendments. It's clear we must be doing more, and I will continue fighting to pass this legislation."

The Senator's amendments are available here and here.