Congress passed a resolution today declaring that genocide is occurring in Sudan.

In a rare show of bipartisan agreement, the House of Representatives passed the measure in a unanimous vote, and the Senate then approved it by a voice vote, in their last acts before Congress adjourned for a six-week summer recess. "While the world debates, people die in Darfur," said Sen. Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican. "We actually could save some lives instead of lamenting afterward that we should have done something."

Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, a South Dakota Democrat, called the resolution "an important statement to make. The administration needs to hear it, the international community needs to hear it, and certainly the Sudanese government, which tolerates if not assists genocide, needs to hear it." The resolution says "the atrocities unfolding in Darfur, Sudan, are genocide."

Sudan is not happy with the pressure being brought to bear on it from the U.S. and Great Britain. Tony Blair has not ruled out sending military support to the area. The Sudanese President announced that:

"(This) pressure closely resembles the increased pressure that was put on Iraq (before the war)."

The conflict between the Arab nomads and African farmers has been going on for 15 months. The U.N. estimates that the conflict has killed 30,000 and displaced over 1 million. The Arab Janjaweed militias who have been attacking black Africans and raping African women may be getting help from the Sudanese Government. For the latest developments, check in with Passion of the Present.

Update: The Washington Post has this editorial today.