April 6, 2013

Letter to the UN Security Council re Responsibility to Provide Humanitarian Aid in Sudan

Filed under Public Statements

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April 5, 2013

Dear Ambassador,

Please add your support to over 1,000 activists who are outside of the Sudan Mission to the United Nations today demanding unimpeded humanitarian assistance to all conflict areas in Sudan by taking appropriate measures under Article 41 of the UN Charter against the government of Sudan as mandated by UN Security Resolution 2046.

The rally, which is part of Amnesty International’s annual “Get on the Bus for Human Rights” day of education and activism, recognizes with dismay the 10th anniversary of the commencement of mass atrocities in Darfur, and the spread of those atrocities to the border regions of Sudan (Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Abyei) for the past two years.

Activists are calling on the government of Sudan to:

  • End its aerial and land attacks on civilians
  • Allow unimpeded humanitarian access to all conflict areas in Sudan
  • Permit safe passage of civilians seeking to escape bombing
  • Cease harassment and detention of individuals who seek freedom of expression
  • End impunity for indicted war criminals

Almost one year ago, on May 2, 2012, the United Nations Security Council passed Resolution 2046 which called on the Sudan government to take similar measures and in particular, “Strongly urges Sudan and the SPLM-N…to permit humanitarian access to the affected populations in the two areas.” The government of Sudan has refused to comply with this and other directives of the Resolution, thereby intentionally endangering the lives of Sudanese civilians. UN OCHA reports that more than 1 million people are severely affected by armed conflict in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and 200,000 refugees have fled to South Sudan and Ethiopia.

The UN Security Council is responsible for protecting the Sudanese people from the government of Sudan by providing an immediate response to the humanitarian crisis in the two areas irrespective of political negotiations between the various parties. At a minimum and as mandated by the Resolution, the UN Security Council must take appropriate measures under Article 41 of the UN Charter against the government of Sudan for non-compliance. The Sudanese people cannot afford to wait any longer and the credibility and therefore the effectiveness of the United Nations in Sudan, South Sudan and around the world is at stake.

Thank you for your time and we look forward to your response.

Best regards,

Act for Sudan
New York, NY

Aegis Trust
London, England

Collectif Urgence Darfour
Paris, France

Enough Project
Washington, DC

Italians for Darfur
Rome, Italy

Operation Broken Silence
Memphis, TN

STAND
Washington, DC

Waging Peace
London, England

cc: UN Security Council Members
Mr. Haile Menkerios, Special Representative of the Secretary General to Sudan and South Sudan
H.E. Mr. Tete Antonio, Ambassador, Office of the Permanent Observer of the African Union to the UN
H.E. Mr. Ahmed Fathalla, Ambassador, Office of the Permanent Observer for the League of Arab States to the UN

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