From china . Its a bit like cotton. Producing 90 of cotton. In so its a very High Percentage its a very high risk that anything related from china is implicated. One strategy or the strategy to go for draw out its staff were citizens before the violence began. The United States cannot be blindsided like this. I want to understand what is being done to prevent this in the future. Now, i realize that if the views of some ends up being the reality, our ability to predict and prepare for situations like we are seeing in sudan will be dramatically affected of the potential cuts that are being talked about in discretionary domestic spending. Everything we do at the state departments domestic discretionary spending. So i dont know how we are going to get better with less. Undersecretary newland, i want to hear a clear articulation of our short, medium and long term goals in sudan and the horn of africa. As well as the administrations strategy for achieving them now that we dont have any diplomatic presence on the ground in sudan. Mrs. Charles is one of the emerging humanitarian catastrophe, we need to plan to deliver assistance as quickly as possible to the people of sudan, to empower Civil Society invoices advocating against all odds and its great personal cost for democracy. Millions of lives in sudan and the horn of africa are it stake as our Strategic Interests in the horn of africa and the red sea corridor. We need to put democratic transition back on track in sudan. With that, let me turn to the Ranking Member for his opening statement. Thank you, mister chairman. I would certainly concur in your remarks. I think you are kind of than im going to, be but nonetheless we have the situation before us. This is not a happy occasion. Its disappointing that we are here today having this hearing. The humanitarian and security catastrophe playing out in sudan was predictable. This committee has tried to ensure sudan had the highest levels of attention from the state department. Sadly, that has not happened. I concur with the chairman that this is not an easy situation. Its no question that things are difficult there, but we dont have the luxury of just dealing with the easy ones. More should have been done to protect the cities people from the military junta. We have to should have done more to warn american citizens and respond to the predictable scenario that we all saw unfolding. We have seen this movie before. As sudan faces a potentially catastrophe fake civil war instead collapse, like those we have seen in syria and libya, urgent leadership by the United States and its allies is required. Certainly, the state department is on the front line for this. No one should be surprised they were involved in refused to relinquish power. Im concerned the United States continues to partner with the same authoritarian actors in the region that have bargained away sudans democratic future in order to secure their own interests. Even neil, current efforts in saudi arabia yield a real humanitarian ceasefire, but we must also be very honest with ourselves about the motivations of some of the regional actors. In the four years and students general removed Omar Albashir from hope, a knife up towards corrupt military leaders has driven u. S. Policy in sudan. This approach has powered sedans strongman, while victimizing the sudanese people, undermining the countrys democratic future. The Biden Administration has sanctions only one sudanese entity under global minutes key, while President Biden issued an executive order last week, there were no designations with the announcement. Very disappointing. The u. S. Has also not put its best to diplomatic foot forward to deal with the problem. We did not name a ambassador to sudan for more than two years after normalizing relations. During a critical time in sudans transition. U. S. Embassy in khartoum has also faced persistent understaffing and leadership challenges. Congress has spoken in a bipartisan manner, with an unmistakable voice on sudan to ensure transition, but the sudanese people need to be put first and we need to and the stranglehold of Sudanese Security forces on the however the administration does not seem to be listening. During our last meeting 15 months ago i called for the administration to articulate a clear vision for what it wants in sudan. Im still waiting. The Administration Must change not only the architecture, but also the architects of this policy. We need a policy that empowers the sudanese people, we can see the generals, shuts off the foreign meddling and finance that empowers them, and leads a coalition of partners committed to putting sudans democratic future first. We must and this cycle of doing the same thing and expecting a different outcome. I look forward to hearing from our Witnesses Today just as the chairman indicated about how the administration plans to meet immediate needs in sudan, and make an urgent course correction in its sudan policy. Before i close, i would be remissed, and i want to express my deep disappointment, for your failure to respond to mine and many of my colleagues questions for the record in a timely manner. You left testified before this committee on january 26th. Then after that hearing, as usual, questions for the record were submitted because we have limited times in airings. That was over 100 days ago. I received answers to those questions for the record. Do you know when . The delay in responding to these questions underscores serious doubt in my mind that the state department to put any value on communication with congress, and holds no respect for this committees oversight rule. Some of the questions i submitted to you were about sudan. And now, we get an answer over 100 days later. The day before the next hearing on this subject. I really feel that this demonstrates that the department is just going through the motions, and continuing on its happy way keeping us in the dark. I expect to receive meaningful explanation of why these questions for the record took over 100 days to complete. Thank, you mister chair. Thank you very much, senator risch. Our Witnesses Today are ambassador Victoria Nuland, under secretary of state for Political Affairs. Miss sarah charles, assistant to the humanitarian assistance. Under secretary Victoria Nuland as a distinguished 33 year career as a diplomat, we joining the departments undersecretary for Political Affairs in april of 2021. And i wont go through all of that history, but suffice to say its an incredible career. Sarah charles its a system to the administrator usa i. D. In charge of the briefing humanitarian affairs. The u. S. Governments Leader InternationalDisaster Response before joining the bureau she was senior director for policy and advocacy for the International Rescue committee and has worked with the National Security council. As director of humanitarian affairs. We thank you both for your participation and your service through to our country. I would ask you to summarize your statements in about five minutes. Your full statements will be included in the record without objection. Ambassador nuland, we will start with you. Thank you chairman menendez, Ranking Member risch, distinguished members of this committee. We appreciate the opportunity to be with you and exchange views at such a difficult and consequential moment for sudan. The Third Largest nation on the african continent, sudan holds enormous promise and opportunity. It should be a thriving bread basket for its people, the region, and the world, but its dead it has been plagued, as you both noted, by decades of authoritarianism, economic turmoil, and civil war. In 2019, the sudanese people longing for a different future led a peaceful protest movement that ended the 30year reign of a dictator only to endure a military takeover two years later. Our engagement since has focused on restoring the promise of that 2019 revolution and supporting a civilianled transition to democracy and civilian rule. We have worked over the past 18 months with civilian partners in sudan to build a coalition to lead this effort while simultaneously putting pressure on sudans generals to engage seriously in a political process. Despite the courageous effort by sudanese civilian leaders and intensive engagement by international actors, which did yield considerable progress since last fall on elements of their own framework for a political agreement, those negotiations as you know broke down over the unwillingness of the two military leaders to resolve the last issue which stood in the weight of a return to democracy. Namely had erected support forces and the Sudanese Armed forces would integrate under a unified command structure. On april 15th, we saw months of progress erased overnight. You have seen the images, hundreds killed in pillaging, looting, Armed Conflict across the city. Food, water, medicine, electricity, telecoms cut off. Hundreds of thousands of families displaced or hiding in their homes. Our first priority, as you noted, was the safety of our people. Over seven days, we consolidated all u. S. Personnel at the Embassy Compound where our military than bravely extracted them by helicopter on april 23rd to ethiopia and onward to djibouti. Then with the help of partners, british, french, germans and saudis, we organized three overland convoys from khartoum to port sudan, transporting more than 700 more people, and hundreds of our own people also boarded allied and partner flights. In total, we facilitated the departure of 2000 people including 1300 u. S. Citizens and Family Member is along with u. S. Al p o rs, locally employed staff, and nationals from other allied and partner countries. From the outside outset, we have also worked to silence the guns. Secretary blinken, assistant secretary malik fee, our vaccinators then anthony godfrey, and teams across the department have been tirelessly engaged. First with secondary blinkens intense personal effort, we have secured six sequential short term ceasefires, which have lessened the fighting and allowed these evacuations and some initial movement of humanitarian aid. And then working intensively with saudi arabia and other partners, we began on sunday these prenegotiations with the warring parties. To date, the secretary has made seven separate cards to generals abdel fattah alburhan and hemedti to stop the guns, jumpstart this emergency diplomacy, and get talks going. He has also been in touch with African Union chairperson and leaders across the region and europe. And as you know, for the last three days, starting on sunday evening, assistant secretary defeat and ambassador godfrey have led the u. S. Delegation to these emergency prenegotiations that began in jeddah. Our goal for these talks has been very narrowly focused. First, securing agreement on the declaring shun of humanitarian principles. And then getting a cease fire that is long enough to visit the steady delivery of badly needed services. If this stage is successful, and i talked to our negotiators this morning who are cautiously optimistic, it would then enable expanded talks with additional local, regional and International Stakeholders towards a permanent cessation of hostilities and then a return to civilianled rule as the sudanese people have demanded for years. We and our partners continue to make clear to the warring parties led by these two generals that there can be no military solution to this crisis and negotiations are the only way forward. We have also made clear anne through President Bidens may 4th executive order to authorize future sanctions that we will hold those responsible for stealing sudans future to account. These new authorities reinforce a consistent message from the u. S. That the world is watching. The fighting has to stop and we will hold those responsible to account. Meanwhile, we appreciate saudi arabias role hosting these talks, and we will continue to work closely with all regional partners including the African Union, he gad, the sudan that includes the uk, to bring the conflict to an end. Mister chairman, if i could, and mr. Ranking member, in this context, thank you for passing our ambassador to the ambassador designate, Stephanie Sullivan for the African Union, through this committee and urge your support and help getting hurt confirmed on the floor. Despite many setbacks, we will continue to stand with the sudanese people in their demands for a peaceful and democratic future. They deserve better. I thank you look forward to listening to your questions and Ranking Member risch, you are absolutely right. Those questions should not have taken 100 days. That is on me. It will not happen again. I apologize. Miss charles. Chairman menendez, Ranking Member risch, distinguished members of the committee, thank you for the opportunity to testify before you today. About the unfolding humanitarian crises in sudan and the u. S. Governments response. It has been less than one month since the hostilities between the Sudanese Armed forces and the Rapid Support forces erupted, but the impact on the people of sudan has already been devastating. Ongoing violence has led to the death of hundreds, injured thousands, and destruction of Critical Infrastructure and disruption basic services. Attacks against humanitarian staff and the looting of humanitarian assets forced many of our partners to temporarily suspend hundreds of lifesaving programs, and relocate their staff, impacting millions of people who relied on these programs to meet basic needs. Before the conflict, 16 Million People in sudan, more than one third of the population, quite humanitarian assistance. We do not yet know the full extent to which humanitarian conditions have worsened since april 15th, but the early reports are grim. An estimated 70 of hospitals across conflict effect afflicted areas are not operational. More than 3 million women and girls are at risk of gender based violence. More than 19 Million People in our latest analysis could be food insecure in the next 3 to 6 months if fighting continues. More than 700,000 people have been internally displaced, more than 170,000 people have been crossed into neighboring countries. Meaning the ramifications of the conflict do not and at sudans borders. They stretch into the region, compounding existing humanitarian needs across several countries. The United States is the largest of humanitarian assistance to sudan, that while the operating context is changed, our commitment to providing assistance to the people of sudan has not. On april 23rd, u. S. Aid administrator Samantha Power announced the deployment of a Disaster Assistance response team, or d. A. R. T. , to the region to lead and coordinate the u. S. Governments humanitarian response. While some of our humanitarian programs are temporarily suspended, as of yesterday 19 of our longstanding partners with Strong National networks continue to operate albeit with limited capacity, and dwindling prepositioned supplies. Since the beginning of the conflict, national staff, neighborhood committee, and other Civil Society organizations have shown tremendous bravery, responding to the needs in their communities amid incredible risk and uncertainty. One of our partners has been dispatching in network of midwives across khartoum to manage emergencies and support homeworth amid airstrikes, gunfire and rubble. When its been too dangerous for pregnant women to travel to any of the few operational hospitals. Their bravery and commitment to the sudanese people has helped save lives and bring new life into the world and other wives in otherwise grim circumstances. Despite incremental progress, the insecurity operating environment, lack of access, limited supply levels, inaccessibility of cash, on reliable electricity, and telecoms, will impact their ability to sustain this limited delivery of assistance in the coming weeks. Looking forward, we are working closely with our partners to respond now even as we assess additional humanitarian needs. While rapid assessments are ongoing, we are working with partners now to use existing programs and prepositioned stocks to scale up and pivot emergency programming or conditions where conditions allow. We are also working closely with our colleagues at the department of state and the United Nations to advocate in jeddah and elsewhere for the conditions that will allow for the scaling up humanitarian operations including Overland Routes and averages from neighboring countries. We are also asking Government Entities in sudan and in neighboring countries to decrease bureaucratic barriers that limit relief organizations ability to respond to the crises and scale. For example, by expediting customs procedures, issuing visas visa waivers for workers, and waiving requirements issued by the Sudanese Humanitarian Aid Commission to fasttrack humanitarian activities. For many years, has chronically hampered humanitarian action and delayed lifesaving assistance in sudan. These re