SUDAN: Letter to UN Security Council Members from 123 Organizations Regarding Humanitarian Access
September 21, 2012
Dear Ambassador:
We are deeply alarmed by the ongoing lack of full and unhindered access for international humanitarian aid agencies to all areas within the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur. Despite a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling on the government of Sudan to immediately allow for such access in the Two areas – and a memorandum of understanding concluded between the UN, the African Union, and the League of Arab States – the so-called “Tripartite Partners” – and the Sudanese government providing for humanitarian aid delivery, one million people continue to suffer from food insecurity as well as the continued threat of indiscriminate bombings and attacks on civilians.
It has been over four months since the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, called on the government of Sudan to immediately accept the Tripartite Partner’s proposal to permit humanitarian access throughout the two states. The resolution followed months of delay on the part of the Sudanese government over the review of a proposal that the Tripartite Partners submitted concerning aid delivery.
On August 5, 2012, Khartoum finally signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tripartite Partners that sets out deadlines related to the planning for and distribution of international humanitarian assistance. To date, the government has ignored the deadlines laid out in the memorandum and exhibited no indication that it intends to allow the full and unhindered delivery of aid throughout South Kordofan and Blue Nile.
The UN Security Council committed in Resolution 2046 to hold all parties who fail to comply with the Resolution’s terms fully accountable through the imposition of measures under Article 41 of the Charter. It is imperative that it do so. Those parties who fail to meet their obligations should face strong consequences including the imposition of sanctions. In its upcoming review of the compliance of the parties with Resolution 2046, the Government of Sudan’s failure to abide by the provisions related to humanitarian assistance and to comply with the agreement which it signed should be considered a key factor in determining what actions the Council takes. For many in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, this is a matter of life and death.
For over a year, the government of Sudan has refused to allow aid into these two states, resulting in emergency levels of food insecurity (one level below famine) for 150,000-200,000 people in Southern Kordofan and crisis levels for hundreds of thousands of others in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Continued aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces and fighting with rebel groups has displaced or severely affected an estimated 665,000 people inside Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and led 205,000 refugees to flee to South Sudan and Ethiopia, where they continue to face desperate conditions.
We welcomed the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the government of Sudan and the Tripartite Partners, but are distressed that the government of Sudan once again continues to delay in its implementation of a key agreement. Similarly, we appreciate the actions of the UN Security Council to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid and to support the initiation of a political dialogue between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-N. However, such actions will be of little consequence to civilians on the ground if the Council does not make efforts to ensure that the government of Sudan complies with the Council’s approach.
If Sudan continues to ignore its obligations to allow humanitarian access to the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, we urge that the UN Security Council move swiftly to impose consequences for this failure and to consider alternative means for delivering aid.
Signed by:
- Act for Sudan
- Aegis Trust
- African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)
- African Soul, American Heart
- Afro-Canadian Evangelical mission
- Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan
- American Friends Service Committee US West Region
- American Islamic Congress
- American Islamic Forum for Democracy
- American Jewish World Service
- Americans Against the Darfur Genocide
- Armenian National Committee of America
- Arry Organization for Human Rights & Development
- Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development
- Blue Nile Association
- Bnai Darfur Organization
- Brooklyn Coalition for Darfur & Marginalized Sudan
- Center for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation
- Change the world. It just takes cents.
- Christian Lifeline International Aid
- Collectif Urgence Darfour
- Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action
- Combat Genocide Association
- Common Cause
- Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO
- Congregation of St. Joseph
- Connecticut Coalition to Save Darfur
- Darfur Action Group of South Carolina
- Darfur and Beyond
- Darfur Interfaith Network
- Darfur Leaders Network
- Darfur People’s Association of New York
- Darfur People’s Association of New York Brooklyn
- Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Inc.
- Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre
- Darfur Solidarity In USA
- Darfur Union, UK & Ireland
- Dear Sudan, Love Marin
- Doctors to the World
- Enough Project
- Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi
- Foreign Policy In Focus
- Genocide No More – Save Darfur
- Genocide Watch
- Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide
- GlobalSolutions.org
- Help Nuba
- Holocaust Museum Houston
- Hope With (South) Sudan
- Human Rights & Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND)
- Human Rights Org.
- Human Rights Team – Community of Christ
- Human Rights Watch
- Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)
- Humanity Is Us
- Humanity United
- Investors against Genocide
- Iowa Center for Genocide Prevention
- Italians for Darfur
- Jewish World Watch
- Jews Against Genocide
- Joining Our Voices
- Kamma Organization for Development Initiatives (South Sudan)
- Keokuk for Global Awareness & Aid
- Leadership Conference of Women Religious
- Live Well South Sudan
- Long Island Darfur Action Group
- Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
- Moro Association of the United States
- My Sister’s Keeper
- NAACP
- National Association of Evangelicals
- National Council of the Churches of Christ
- Never Again Coalition
- New York City Genocide Prevention Coalition
- New York Coalition for Darfur and All Sudan
- New York Darfur Vigil Group
- Nuba Christian Family Mission
- Nuba Mountain Peace Coalition
- Nuba Mountains Advocacy Group
- Nuba Mountains International Association
- Nuba Relief, Rehabilitation and Development Organization
- Nuba Vision Coalition, Inc
- Nubia Project
- One Million Bones
- Operation Broken Silence
- Peace Action
- Persecution Project Foundation
- Physicians for Human Rights
- Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition
- Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness
- Rabbinical Assembly
- San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition
- Save Darfur North Shore
- Save Darfur Washington State
- Shine A Ray of Hope
- Society for Threatened Peoples
- South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education & Leadership
- South Sudan Women Christian Mission for Peace
- Stop Genocide Now
- Strategic Centre for Social Studies in Blue Nile
- Sudan Advocacy Action Forum
- Sudan Democracy First Group
- Sudan Human Rights Network
- Sudan Rowan, Inc.
- Sudan Unlimited
- Sudanese Australian Human Rights Association
- Sudanese Front for Change
- Sudanese Marginalized Forum
- Temple Ahavat Achim Darfur Social Action Committee
- The Africa Institute of American Jewish Committee
- The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)
- The Institute on Religion and Democracy
- TransAfrica
- Triangles of Truth
- Ubuntu Women Institute USA Inc.
- Unitarian Universalist Association
- Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
- United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society
- United to End Genocide
- Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI
- Voices for Sudan
- Waging Peace