JEM leader calls for oil-for-food programme in Darfur
March 6, 2009 (PARIS) — The leader of the Justice and Equality Movement condemned the expulsion of the aid groups from Darfur and called on the UN Security Council to establish an Oil-for-Food Programme to relieve the IDPs and refugees affected by the Darfur crisis.
The Government of Sudan on Wednesday, February 4, had ordered 13 foreign aid groups to quite the country accusing them of cooperation with the International Criminal Court. The decision was announced hours after the ICC judges issued an arrest warrant for the President Omer Hassan Al-Bashir.
Khalil Ibrahim, who signed a goodwill agreement with the Sudanese government last month ahead of expected peace talks, said the government’s decision is a clear breach of the confidence-building measures they agreed to implement. As part of the goodwill deal signed in Doha, the two parties agreed to refrain from harassment of IDPs and to guarantee “the smooth and unobstructed flow of relief assistance to the needy people without any obstacles or constraints.”
“The regime uses food as weapons to defend itself, and this as such is a genocide because they prevent these people from the most important things to survive,” he added.
He therefore called on the UN Security Council to institute an Oil-for-Food Programme allowing the sale of Sudanese oil in exchange for food to the displaced persons in Darfur and the refugees in the neighboring countries.
The rebel leader pointed out that such a fund would feed the Sudanese displaced and refugees instead of using the oil income to buy weapons from China and other countries. He further said that Sudan is a rich country and has the possibility to provide food its people.
Ibrahim’s proposal stems from the historic precedent for such a programme, the export restrictions imposed on Iraq by the UN Security Council after that country invaded Kuwait in 1990. For several years after the Gulf War, Iraq’s oil sales were forcibly limited, but in 1996, Iraq began exporting oil again under the terms of a deal mandating that two-thirds of the revenues be used for Iraq’s humanitarian needs.
“With the international financial crisis and the huge American deficit I wonder why the US would continue to fund the humanitarian aid to Darfur while Khartoum uses oil income to buy arms to kill these defenseless civilians,” Khalil said.
Such a programme would use an escrow system. In the Sudanese case, oil exported from Sudan would be paid for by the recipient directly into an escrow account rather than to the government. The money would then be apportioned to pay for the Darfur food programme. The remainder of the revenue then can be available to the government to purchase regulated items.
In the Iraqi case, the escrow account was established by the UN Secretary-General and billions of dollars were transferred through it to humanitarian providers, rather than funds passing directly to a government account.
JEM’s leader underscored that such a fund has the advantage of establishing transparency and bringing clarity to oil revenue so that Southern Sudan’s government receives its share directly from the escrow account.
He also stressed that this proposal would deprive the Sudanese government from all these funds adding “this also should encourage them to seek peace seriously” and help the resolution of the conflict.
Ibrahim underlined that the humanitarian needs of Darfur’s people can be transported to the western Sudan region of Darfur directly through Chad, Central Africa and Egypt or Libya.
Also the JEM chairman added that such a measure should be implemented with a no-fly zone in which Sudanese aircrafts would be prevented from flying in Darfur, in order to protect the IDPs.
There are about 2.5 million internally displaced persons in Darfur. The UN continues to operate its programmes in Darfur, but some of its implementing partners are among the evicted agencies. According to a statement yesterday from UN Deputy Emergency Relief Coordinator Catherine Bragg, 4.7 million people receive aid in Darfur.
Northern Sudan is a net exporter of food, but little domestically produced food reaches the people of Darfur who have fled from their farmlands. Instead, aid agencies import grains from abroad.
(ST)
Wiyual
JEM leader calls for oil-for-food programme in Darfur
Wake up Mr. Khalil!
You have to note that the country’s oil is located in the Southern part of country where you used to terrorize during SPLM/SPLA 22 years war with NIF regime. During the South Sudanese struggle for their right, you supported your Muslim master from the North Sudan that used you as shield to fight your blood-relative brother from the South. No, no, and no! I’m against your grievances because you had put Islam first and forget family relationship during South Sudanese struggle. If Muslim from Nuba Mountains are the ones who claiming their shares, I must be 100% to support them because they were part of Sudan patriots.
No Thank to Oil for Food to feed your people whom you caused their trouble.
Lual Garang De Lual
JEM leader calls for oil-for-food programme in Darfur
Dear my Southern Sudanese people
I am both discouraged and delighted about the comments shared on this topics. On forgivenness,I would advise you to read this, Matthews 5:43-45, entitle “LOVE FOR ENEMIES” which says “you have heard that the law of Moses says,’love your neighbour* and hate your enemy. But I say, love your enemies!* pray for those who persecute you! In that way, you will be acting as true children of your father in heaven. For he gives sunlight to both the evil and the good, and he sends rain on the just and on the unjust”
Here, it is everybody’s decision as to whether forgive the Darfuris for their bad deeds done to the South or not. Whatever the Darfuris did to the Southerners, God is the only supreme power to pay them back not us as individuals. Take this saying of Mahmatma Gandhi the symbol and icon of forgiveness in the world.”An eye for eye only ends up making the whole World blind” MAHATMA GANDHI
My point of argument goes to those who are opposing the proposal put forwards by Dr. Khalil Ibrihim of JEM as for the UNSC to act a resolution setting a separate escrow account to manage oil money, whereby everybody including GOSS can take its share. He didn’t mean that “oil for food” money is going to be taken from the 50% share of Southern Sudan but from their 50% share of Northern Sudan as we know that Darfur is part of Northern Sudan not South Sudan.
Furthermore, it would also help the government of Southern Sudan in dealing accurately with the numbers of barrels sold a day for income, hence leading to efficient distribution of resources, satisfied GOSS doubts and leading to the delay in releasing the money like it did happen to civil servants monthly salaries.