Tennessee Advocacy Alert: HR 6094

Written By Mark Hackett

New legislation will help the United States foster a successful democratic transition in Sudan. If you are a Tennessee resident, we need your help securing Congressional cosponsors for The Sudan Democratic Transition, Accountability, and Financial Transparency Act of 2020 (H.R. 6094).

We need you to call your Representative and ask them to become a cosponsor. If you don’t know who your Representative is, enter your zip code here:

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Step 1

Find the contact information for your Representative’s local office that is closest to your home below.

We recommend calling your local office instead of the Washington DC office. We’ve found that calling local offices is more effective.

District 2: Congressman Tim Burchett

District 1: Congressman David “Phil” Roe

District 4: Congressman Scott DeJarlais

District 3: Congressman Charles “Chuck” Fleischmann

District 6: Congressman John Rose

District 5: Congressman Jim Cooper

District 8: Congressman David Kustoff

District 7: Congressman Mark Green

District 9: Congressman Steve Cohen

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Step 2

Prepare to make your phone call by editing our call script template.

We highly recommend that you make small edits so that your call is more personal. The Congressional staffer you talk to will know that you really do care a lot about this.

Copy and paste the following template to your computer or phone to edit:

Hello, my name is ___________ and I live in zip code _____. I am calling today to ask that Congressman _____________ cosponsor House Resolution 6094, The Sudan Democratic Transition, Accountability, and Financial Transparency Act of 2020.

This bipartisan legislation authorizes assistance for Sudan’s transition to a democracy, requires the Trump Administration to submit a strategy to Congress for supporting the civilian-led Government of Sudan during the country’s current transition period, and more.

Last year, Congressman _____________ voted in favor of House Resolution 432, making it clear that the House of Representatives supported the democratic aspirations of the Sudanese people.

By becoming a cosponsor of HR 6094, Congressman __________ will continue helping to improve U.S. policy toward Sudan and ensure that our country continues to play an indispensable leadership role on the world stage. Thank you.

Tips To Personalize Your Call Script

Note Your Past Involvement: If you have given or fundraised for the programs we support in Sudan, or advocated with us on a previous campaign, be sure to mention that. It will let the Congressional staffer know that you’ve been involved for a while and are serious.

Be A Little More Casual: We know that our call template sounds kind of nerdy. Change some words up and simplify sentences to make it sound a bit more down to earth. Just try not to take out important information, like what the bill does or the resolution number.

Keep It Brief: Congressional staffers are busy people. They really do appreciate it when constituents are polite, but also direct and to the point. Make your call script personal, but don’t turn it into a novel.

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Step 3

Use the number you selected and the script you made to call your local office!

Nervous about calling? Find a few more tips and some information below to further prepare yourself.

There’s a chance that the staffer you talk to won’t know much about Sudan. That’s okay! They may have a few questions for you. Here’s some more information to make sure you are prepared:

Why This Bill Is So Important

For the first time in 30 years, Sudan is awash in hope for real change. Decades of genocidal wars, brutal oppression, and extremist rule may finally be coming to an end.

In 2019, mass protests calling for civilian rule swept across Sudan. Regime security forces responded by murdering, raping, and torturing them. But the Sudanese people didn’t back down. In April of 2019, military leaders arrested dictator and indicted war criminal Omar al-Bashir in hopes of holding onto power themselves. Protesters refused to go home.

After several more months of regime violence and mounting international pressure, military leaders begrudgingly started to give ground. A half-win was achieved: three years of joint civilian and military rule followed by supposed free and fair elections.

But Sudan’s future is still hanging by a thread. Members of the regime remain at the highest levels of the transitional government. Their paramilitaries are still attacking ordinary people in Sudan’s oppressed hinterlands. And there have been several coup attempts by those who are trying to drag the country back into full-blown extremism.

While it is ultimately up to the Sudanese people to move their country forward, the United States can play a constructive role by helping to foster a successful democratic transition in Sudan. To do that, The Sudan Democratic Transition, Accountability, and Financial Transparency Act of 2020 (H.R. 6094) needs to pass out of Congress with bipartisan support.

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What H.R. 6094 Does

The Sudan Democratic Transition, Accountability, and Financial Transparency Act of 2020 (H.R. 6094) does the following:

  • authorizes assistance for democratic governance, rule of law, and human rights, including support for free, fair, and credible elections;

  • authorizes support for development programs, including those focused on providing economic opportunities for youth and previously marginalized populations;

  • supports long-term peace and stability in Sudan by authorizing support for conflict mitigation, including efforts to strengthen civilian oversight of the Sudanese security and intelligence services;

  • promotes accountability for war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide by authorizing support to build Sudan’s judicial capacity to pursue prosecutions in domestic or hybrid international courts;

  • supports debt relief and multilateral financing from international financial institutions provided that certain governance and fiscal transparency benchmarks are met;

  • advances effort to assist the Government of Sudan in recovering stolen assets;

  • authorizes sanctions on any individuals who commit human rights abuses, participate in the illicit exploitation of natural resources, or undermine the political transition in Sudan; and

  • requires the Administration to submit to Congress a strategy for supporting the civilian-led Government of Sudan during the transition period.

If you want all the nitty gritty details, read the full text of the bill here.

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Step 4

Call your local office back once a week until you get an answer.

Stay polite and brief. If your Congressman does become a cosponsor, be sure to say thank you!

Have questions before calling?

Contact Us

Stay Involved: Join Our New Campaign

Operation Broken Silence is battling a massive education crisis right now in Yida Refugee Camp. Tens of thousands of the Sudanese people have been living in Yida since 2011, when Sudan's military launched a genocidal war against the Nuba Mountains region.

Today, Yida looks less like a refugee camp and more like a permanent settlement. Schools dot the landscape; however, not a single one is fully supported. Nuba teachers are so severely underpaid that some have been forced to leave their profession altogether.

The beating heart of education is not classrooms, chalkboards, or textbooks. It is teachers. These teachers in Yida are so critical because they have lived through the war in Sudan, just like their students have. They are the only teachers in the world who fully understand what some 20,000 children in Yida have been through. They are irreplaceable. 

Making sure these teachers can keep doing what they love is our top priority. You can keep them employed by joining our new campaign.

We need all the help we can get. Every penny counts right now. Please join us in empowering these teachers in Yida Refugee Camp.

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About Us

Operation Broken Silence is building a global movement to empower the Sudanese people through innovative programs as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization. We focus on empowering Sudanese change makers and their critical work. Learn more here.

Donations are tax-deductible within the guidelines of U.S. law. Give today.

Mark Hackett
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December 2019 Yida Education Update