SRF rebels call on EU parliament to press for humanitarian access in Sudan
November 19, 2013 (PARIS) – Leaders of the Sudanese Revolutionary Front (SRF) called on the members of the European Union to lobby their governments to put pressure on Khartoum to allow humanitarian access to the affected civilians in the rebel held areas.
A delegation of the rebel SRF leadership headed by Malik Agar was Tuesday in the eastern France town of Strasbourg where they sought the support of European MPs to their demand for a comprehensive process in Sudan.
The rebel leaders further called on the EU to organise an international conference on the humanitarian situation in Darfur, Blue Nile and South Kordofan where the government refuses to authorise UN agencies to deliver food to the civilians in the Nuba Mountains, since the start of the conflict in June 2011.
The rebels also pointed to the failure of the hybrid peacekeeping mission in Darfur to protect civilians from the attacks of the Sudanese army and its allied militias, as they claimed.
The delegation also underlined the bloody repression against peaceful protesters following the lift of subsidies last September, and called to appoint a special rapporteur on human rights in Sudan.
Following their meetings with different parliamentary groups in the EU parliament headquarters, the rebels held a press conference and projected a video showing an attack carried last Sunday by the Sudanese army on Buram, in South Kordofan where two children were killed.
The rebel delegation met officials in France, Germany, Italy and Finland. They are expected to travel to Brussels to met Belgium government officials and EU commission.
Khartoum last week said the EU commission declined to meet the rebel delegation.
The SRF delegation includes, Abdel Wahid Al-Nur, Gibril Ibrahim, Minni Minnawi, Nasir Eldeen Al-Mahdi, Tom Hajo, and Yasir Arman.
(ST)