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Coalition of Human Rights Groups Calls for Consideration of Cross-Border Aid Operation into Sudan



02/02/12

WASHINGTON – A coalition of human rights groups sent a letter today to Susan Rice, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, calling on the U.S. government to take a leading role in planning a cross-border aid operation into Sudan to ensure delivery of much needed food and medicine to vulnerable populations in the war-torn South Kordofan and Blue Nile States. The groups, which include the Enough Project, American Jewish World Service, United to End Genocide, Jewish World Watch, Investors Against Genocide, Stop Genocide Now, and Act For Sudan, said the U.S. should continue diplomatic efforts to open aid access to the region while at the same time consider delivering aid to the region without Khartoum’s permission. “If donor governments do not act, Sudanese people will die of malnutrition and disease,” said John Prendergast, co-founder of the Enough Project. “The regime in Khartoum continues to use starvation as a weapon with no international consequence. The U.S. should lead in countering these abhorrent war tactics by breaking the blockade, demanding full access throughout Sudan, and holding accountable officials who continue to starve people as a means of holding onto power.” Khartoum, in its war with SPLM-N rebels in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, has attacked civilians, indiscriminately bombed populations, and used starvation as a weapon. The result has been a deterioration in the humanitarian situation which could become a famine in the coming months. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network warns that conditions in the two states are anticipated to reach emergency levels by March. This is one level short of famine. “An unnatural disaster is now threatening to claim the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent people in Sudan through starvation and disease,” said Tom Andrews, President of United to End Genocide. “Once again, Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir, the same man wanted for genocide in Darfur, is responsible. We cannot sit idly by as people starve to death from this Bashir-made catastrophe.” The U.S. has a long history of providing cross-border aid without Khartoum’s permission. From the mid-1980s, a number of NGOs delivered U.S. assistance to areas throughout South Sudan and border areas in the North where the Sudanese regime attempted to obstruct humanitarian access. These efforts saved hundreds of thousands of lives. Similar cross-border operations in the 1980s supported by the U.S. government saved countless Ethiopian lives when the regime in Addis Ababa blocked aid access. “Right now, we must be doing everything we can so that food can reach those on the brink of famine,” said Ruth Messinger, president of American Jewish World Service. The coalition of human rights organizations said they understand the concerns of some aid organizations that Khartoum will respond by denying access to Darfur, where the situation is deteriorating. The U.S. government should take into account the need for continued humanitarian access in Darfur in devising a comprehensive plan to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to civilian populations in the areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, the groups said. Consequently, measures should be taken to ensure unimpeded humanitarian access and protection of humanitarian workers is also prioritized in Darfur and all over Sudan. Read the full letter. Don’t Let Them Starve in Sudan 02/02/12 By Bama Athreya Today, we are joining our allies at Enough Project, American Jewish World Service, Act for Sudan and other organizations to demand immediate action to stop Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir from threatening the lives of hundreds of thousands of innocent civilians in South Kordofan and Blue Nile states. Villagers in these states have suffered months of aerial bombings by the Sudanese Air Force and are now targets for ground troops, as well. But massive numbers are about to die from a form of violence that requires no guns: they will be victims of intentional starvation. The aerial bombings of the past several months have killed dozens, but the terror they have unleashed has also succeeded in preventing villagers from planting or harvesting crops. As our team on the ground in the region learned firsthand, “families will run out of food by March.” Now, with no food at all, these people will assuredly starve. Unless the United States and international community take urgent action, Omar al-Bashir will be free to achieve his goal of killing untold numbers of men, women and children. The world can do something immediately: set up humanitarian corridors from neighboring countries to get food and supplies to the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. But while we push for immediate action, we also demand that a long-term, comprehensive political solution for all marginalized areas be prioritized, recalling that these regions were promised peaceful popular consultations under the Comprehensive Peace Agreement of 2005 and a lasting peace for Darfur hasn’t yet been achieved. The ultimate solution to this unnatural disaster is to arrest Sudan’s President, Omar al-Bashir. Already, Bashir has been declared a war criminal for the genocide in Darfur where he utilized similar bomb and starve tactics.
He must be arrested and brought to justice before his policies can murder hundreds of thousands more of Sudan’s citizens.

Allyson Neville-Morgan
Associate Communications Director
Save Darfur Coalition and Genocide Intervention Network
are now
United to END GENOCIDE
1025 Connecticut Ave NW, Suite 310 Washington, DC
20036 202
-556-2110 office
202-368-9387 cell 202-467-0001 fax

www.endgenocide.org

February 1, 2012

Ambassador Susan E. Rice U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations

RE: Time to Consider a Cross-Border Aid Initiative into War-Torn Areas of Sudan

Dear Ambassador Rice:

The undersigned organizations write to urge the U.S. government to initiate steps immediately to ensure the delivery of food and medical aid to civilian populations living in areas to which the Sudanese government has blocked humanitarian access in South Kordofan and Blue Nile. In initiating these steps, the U.S. government should, as well, continue with its diplomatic efforts to pressure Khartoum to allow international humanitarian aid organizations to access populations in need throughout the two states, regardless of whether those populations are located in government-controlled or SPLM-North-controlled areas. These on-going diplomatic efforts should also be designed to ensure the free movement of populations within the two states and the cessation of Khartoum’s indiscriminate bombardment of civilian populations. However, given the failure, to date, of the U.S. government to pressure Khartoum to agree to negotiated access arrangements, concrete steps must be taken outside of the diplomatic realm to avert a famine in the two states. As was recently acknowledged by both Ambassadors Susan Rice and Princeton Lyman, the humanitarian situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile is dire and may deteriorate into a famine in the coming months. The Famine Early Warning Systems Network warns that conditions in these two states are anticipated to reach emergency levels by March. This is one level short of famine. Reports obtained by the Enough Project from civilians on the ground in South Kordofan indicate that the Sudanese government is blocking the distribution of any humanitarian aid into areas located in the Nuba Mountains controlled by the SPLM-North. While Khartoum has announced that it will allow the Sudanese Red Crescent Society access into some areas within South Kordofan and Blue Nile, eyewitness testimony gathered by Enough indicates that the distribution of aid is restricted to certain government-controlled areas. Despite Khartoum’s claims of aid distribution in the two states, eyewitnesses confirm that food is scarce, medicine is in short supply, and that civilian populations are starving and therefore increasingly susceptible to infectious diseases, such as malaria. Moreover, there are reports that forces are inhibiting the movement of civilians within the two areas, which, in turn, makes it even more difficult for civilians to access the paltry aid, if any, that is available. The undersigned organizations recognize the implicit complications involved in initiating any operations to deliver food and medical aid to populations inside Sudanese territory without Khartoum’s permission. However, the humanitarian situation on the ground has deteriorated to such an extent that the imperative to save lives now outweighs these logistical and political concerns. We understand the concerns of some international humanitarian aid organizations over non-consensual aid efforts in Sudan, chief among them, the fear that Khartoum will respond by denying international organizations access to Darfur. Even in Darfur, the situation is deteriorating. Despite the recent agreement between Khartoum and one of the rebel groups in Doha, a genuine peace is unlikely any time in the near future without an inclusive process. Ongoing reports of bombings by the Government of Sudan, along with the continued arrest and detention of human rights advocates, civil society leaders, and UNAMID staff are extremely troubling. Since 2010, the United Nations has reported over 200 attacks in Darfur which have displaced over 375,000 civilians. There continues to be concern about the limited access that both humanitarians and peacekeepers have in the region which restricts the delivery of aid and monitoring of the security situation. The U.S. government should take into account the need for continued humanitarian access in Darfur in devising a comprehensive plan to ensure the timely delivery of humanitarian aid to civilian populations in the areas of South Kordofan and Blue Nile. Consequently, measures should be taken to ensure that unimpeded humanitarian access and protection of humanitarian workers is also prioritized in Darfur and all over Sudan. Above all, the government of Sudan should not be allowed to continue using the situation in one region against efforts at assistance in other regions to exacerbate the suffering of its own people. The U.S. has a long history of providing cross-border aid in the absence of Khartoum’s acquiescence. From the mid-1980s, a number of NGOs courageously delivered U.S. assistance to areas throughout South Sudan and border areas in the North where the Sudanese regime attempted to obstruct humanitarian access. These efforts saved hundreds of thousands of lives, both before Operation Lifeline Sudan and parallel to it. Similar cross-border operations in the 1980s supported by the U.S. government saved countless Ethiopian lives when the regime in Addis Ababa blocked aid access to vast swathes of northern Ethiopia and what is now Eritrea. It is regrettable that diplomatic efforts to negotiate with Khartoum access into the two areas have not yet succeeded. This fact, however, cannot mark the end of the U.S. government’s engagement on this issue. The government of Sudan’s denial of food and medicine to, along with ongoing, indiscriminate bombardment of, its own people amounts to the purposeful creation of near-famine conditions and intentional forced displacement in these two regions. In the face of Khartoum’s failure to protect its citizens, the international community has a responsibility to step in and take measures to ensure the delivery of necessary aid to Sudanese civilians. This responsibility transcends issues of sovereignty, behind which the regime in Khartoum should no longer be allowed to hide. Therefore, we call on the U.S. government to take a leading role in immediately planning and initiating actions with allies to ensure that necessary food and medical aid reaches the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile with or without Khartoum’s permission.

Respectfully,


John Bradshaw
Enough Project


John Prendergast
Executive Director Co-Founder Enough Project


Ruth Messigner
President
American Jewish World Service

Tom Andrews
President
United to End Genocide

Bill Andress
President
Co-founder Chairperson Act For Sudan

Eric Cohen
President
Coalition Investors Against Genocide

Fred Kramer
Executive Director Co-Founder Jewish World Watch


Gabriel Stauring
Stop Genocide Now