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RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS DELIVER PETITION TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL

A group of international organizations delivered to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Members of the UN Security Council a petition regarding the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan, and specifically in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur. The petition was signed by 74 organizations and calls for international pressure on the NCP-led government to ensure that the Khartoum regime stops civilian bombardment and allows humanitarian access to civilian populations.  It also urges the UNSC to impose a no-fly zone over Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Darfur, Abyei and along the border between South and North Sudan for protection of civilians and humanitarian aid workers. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact -Susan Morgan, 617-797-0451, susan@paxcommunications.org

RIGHTS ORGANIZATIONS DELIVER PETITION TO UN SECURITY COUNCIL
Amid government-led bombings and starvation, groups ask Council to act

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – December 21, 2011 – Today, a group of international organizations are delivering to Secretary General Ban Ki Moon and Members of the UN Security Council a petition regarding the dire humanitarian situation in Sudan, and specifically in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur.

The full petition (full text below) was signed by 74 organizations and notable individuals from the Republic of Sudan, Sudanese citizens in the diaspora, American rights groups, and signatories from South Sudan, the UK, Canada, Nigeria and Italy.

The petition, which was hand-delivered to Council Members and other UN officials states, “We, the undersigned, urge the United Nations Security Council (hereafter UNSC), other members of the international community, and all peace-loving people of the world to take action immediately to avert the current humanitarian-crisis in Sudan and, specifically, the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur. We are asking the UNSC and members of the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan in the quest for a peaceful effort to free themselves from the atrocious murderous regime of Omer el Bashir, who, for the last 22 years, has ruled Sudan with impunity.”

Specifically, the petition calls for international pressure on the NCP-led government to ensure that the Khartoum regime stops civilian bombardment and allows humanitarian access to civilian populations.  It also urges the UNSC to consider serious measures against Bashir’s government in Khartoum by taking tougher actions in accordance with Chapter Seven of the United Nations charter and specifically by imposing a no-fly zone over Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Darfur, Abyei and along the border between South and North Sudan for protection of civilians and humanitarian aid workers.

It is estimated that up to 400,000 civilians have been displaced from Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, and Blue Nile, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost. Some civilians have fled into Ethiopia and South Sudan while over 43,000 civilians reportedly, are stranded at the border, unable to enter South Sudan and suffering from severe food shortages and continued aerial bombing by the Sudan Armed Forces and militias.

FULL TEXT OF PETITION

Date: December 21, 2011

To:
H.E. Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations
H.E. Barack H. Obama, President of the United States of America
H.E. David Cameron, Prime Minister of Her Majesty’s Government of the United Kingdom of Great Britain
H.E. Hu Jintao, President of the Republic of China
H.E. Dmitry Medvedev, President of the Russian Federation
H.E. Nicholas Sarkozy, President of the French Republic
H.E. Jens Stoltenberg, Prime Minister of the Royal Norwegian Government
Mr. Haile Menkerios, UN Special Representative for the Secretary General to Sudan
Son Excellence Obiang Nguema Mbasogo, Chairman of the African Union
The Secretariat of the Inter-Governmental Authority on Development (IGAD).
Sir Derek Plumbly, Chairman of the Assessment and Evaluation Commission

From:
Citizens of Republic of Sudan and the Diaspora
Sudanese Nongovernmental Organizations and Civil Society Associations Sudanese friends worldwide

We, the undersigned, urge the United Nations Security Council (hereafter UNSC), other members of the international community, and all peace-loving people of the world to take action immediately to avert the current humanitarian-crisis in Sudan and, specifically, the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile and Darfur. We are asking the UNSC and members of the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Sudan in the quest for a peaceful effort to free themselves from the atrocious murderous regime of Omer el Bashir, who, for the last 22 years, has ruled Sudan with impunity.

Many news agencies, including international organizations, are reporting on the volatile situation in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Darfur as a matter of grave concern needing urgent action.

It is estimated that up to 400,000 civilians have been displaced from Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, and Blue Nile, and tens of thousands of lives have been lost. Some civilians have fled into Ethiopia and South Sudan while over 43,000 civilians reportedly, are stranded at the border, unable to enter South Sudan and suffering from severe food shortages and continued aerial bombing by the Sudan Armed Forces and militias. The images captured by the Satellite Sentinel Project confirmed the destruction of civilian homes, the presence of as many as eight mass graves in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, the deliberate burning of villages, heavy armament movement and aerial bombardment in Amara village and in the Blue Nile general. Reports from Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and across the borders in the Republic of South Sudan testify as well to the serious situation and desperate humanitarian needs. The Sudanese Armed Forces (hereafter SAF) aerial and artillery bombardments have followed displaced and civilian refugees even when they crossed international borders and sought refuge in Yida camp in South Sudan Unity State.

The government of Omer el Bashir has always followed a similar pattern of systemic ethnic cleansing; i.e., Darfur and South Sudan prior to 2005.  Denial of access to humanitarian aid, ruthless killings, detentions and torture of civilians, looting of civilian properties, and the use of starvation and enslavement have been waged as weapons of war.  The very same leaders currently under investigation by the ICC, in particular, Sudan’s President Omer el Bashir, Governor of South Kordofan State Ahmed Haroun, and Defense Minister Hussein, maintain critical positions of power within Sudan, positions that allow them to continue to perpetrate crimes similar to those they allegedly perpetrated in Darfur.

The tyrant Omer el Bashir has not only turned the lives of Sudanese children, youth, women and unarmed civilians into a living hell, but has made the country of Sudan a breeding ground for terrorist organizations such as al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, the LRA and Islamic Jihadists. This was evidenced by the heroic welcome of notorious leaders such as Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmedinejad, Khalid Mishaal, and the Irani leader Ali Larijani, Iran’s parliament speaker of the house. When Omer el Bashir, the Sudanese president, was accused of war crimes in Darfur, the Aljazeera English News reported that Ali Larijani pledged full support of Bashir’s National Congress Party (hereafter NCP) led regime. Ali Larijani says “This group today indicates a readiness, a will and a unified position to support Sudan, its government and people.”

• We are calling upon all peace-loving people and the international community – especially the UNSC, AU, IGAD, the EU and the United States Government to exert pressure on the NCP led government to ensure that the Khartoum regime stops civilian bombardment and allows humanitarian access to civilian populations.

• We urge the UNSC to consider serious measures against Bashir’s government in Khartoum by taking tougher actions in accordance with Chapter Seven of the United Nations charter and specifically by imposing a no-fly zone over Blue Nile, Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Darfur, Abyei and also along the border between South and North Sudan for protection of civilians and humanitarian aid workers. Furthermore, we ask members of the international community to avail resources to ensure the implementation of a no-fly zone.

• We equally demand that the UNSC takes appropriate actions against member states who fail to adhere to their obligations under the Rome Statute. The current Sudanese Minister of Defense must be held accountable and the military officers and soldiers of the divisions who committed crimes of killing, and burning and looting of homes and property in the Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and Blue Nile regions. We demand accountability for those who committed war crimes against the civilian populations of Darfur, Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, Blue Nile, and Abyei. We demand those who gave orders to kill civilians face justice before the International Criminal Court (ICC).

• We also demand that the UNSC expand the ICC’s mandate to investigate the atrocities committed by the NCP forces and militias against the civilians in Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan and the Blue Nile.

• The UNSC must take concrete and tough steps against Bashir’s government before we see wider war not only in the Sudan, but also in the whole region of east and central Africa. The UNSC must treat the cases of Darfur, Blue Nile, and Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan as matters of serious urgency.

• We strongly demand political and diplomatic isolation of Bashir’s government and enforcement of economic sanctions against the Government of Sudan.

• We also demand reparations for the gross human rights violations that have taken place in Darfur, Nuba Mountains/South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile regions, including damages to properties and infrastructure. These people deserve compensation, and the UNSC must impose this on Omer el Bashir’s government in Khartoum.

 

Signed by:

Act for Sudan
Martina Knee, Co-Founder
San Francisco, CA, USA

Afro Canadian Evangelical Mission
Rev. Fr. Lexson A. Maku, Head of Mission
Abbotsford, BC, Canada

Beja Congress
Abu Mohamed Abu Amna, East Sudan

Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development
Beja Congress Greater Washington DC Chapter
Ibrahim Tahir Ahmed
Washington, DC, USA

Canadians Against Slavery and Torture in Sudan (CASTS)
Norman L. Epstein, M.D. CCFP (EM), Co-Chair
Canada

“Change the world.  It just takes cents.” TM
Sara Kornfeld, Founder/Mentor/Educator
Denver, CO, USA

Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action
Roz Duman, Founder/Director
Denver, CO, USA

Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO
Edmund Yakani
South Sudan

Community of South Sudanese and America Women/Men 
Micklina Kenyi, Executive Director
Boulder, CO, USA

Connecticut Coalition to Save Darfur
Tim Oslovich, Chairperson
Vernon, CT, USA

CSOs and Solidarity Groups for the Peoples in Nuba Mountains
Mohamed Yassin
Padova, Italy

Darfur Action Group of South Carolina
Richard Sribnick, MD, Chairman
Columbia, SC, USA

Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy
Mohamed Yahya, Co-Founder/ Executive Director
Falls Church, VA, USA

Darfur and Beyond
Doreen A. Romney, Co-Founder
Cory Williams, Co-Founder
Phoenix, AZ, USA

Darfur Development Agenda (DDA)
Saifeldin A. Nemir
London, England, UK

Darfur Human Rights of USA
Jarelnabi Abusakeen, Secretary General

Darfur Interfaith Network
Martha Boshnick, Co-Chairman
Washington, DC, USA

Darfur Leaders Network (DLN), USA 
Motasim Adam, Director and Co-founder
Washington, DC, USA

Darfur People’s Association
Illinois – Mohamed Abdelrahman, President
Nebraska – Adam Omer, President
New York – Ahmed Suliman Nour, President

Darfur Union
Bashir Ishag
Washington, DC, USA

Darfur Union, UK; Ireland
Hussain Begira, Chairperson
London, England, UK

Elizabeth Blackney
Author and Anti-genocide Advocate
Virginia Beach, VA, USA

End-Impunity Organization
Angelina Daniel Seeka, Regional Director
Juba, Republic of South Sudan

Eric Reeves
Smith College
Northampton, MA, USA

Essex County Coalition for Darfur
Gloria Crist, Cofounder
Montclair, NJ, USA

Genocide No More – Save Darfur
Marv Steinberg, Coordinator
Redding, CA, USA

Genocide Prevention Institute

Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide
Melanie Nelkin, Founder (Institute) / Chair (Coalition)
Atlanta, GA, USA

Gill Lusk
Writer on Sudan

Human Rights & Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND) 
Abdalmageed S. Haroun, Chairperson
Brooklyn, NY, USA

Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)
Baroness Caroline Cox, CEO
United Kingdom

Idaho Darfur Coalition
A.J. Fay
Boise, ID, USA

Iowa Center for Genocide Prevention
Kristen Anderson
Des Moines, IA, USA

The Institute on Religion and Democracy
Faith McDonnell, Director of Religious Liberties Programs
Washington, DC, USA

THE INSTITUTE on Religion and Public Policy
Joseph Grieboski, Founder and Chairman of the Board
Washington, DC, USA

Investors Against Genocide
Eric Cohen, Chairperson
Boston, MA, USA

Iowa United Nations Association
Yashar Vasef
Iowa City, IA, USA

Jewish World Watch
Fred Kramer, Executive Director
Los Angeles, CA, USA

Jews Against Genocide
Eileen Weiss, Co-Founder
New York, NY, USA

Joining Our Voices
Jack Slater Armstrong, Founder/Director
Baton Rouge, LA, USA

Justice & Equality Movement Sudan (JEM)
Dr. Gebreil I M Fediel, Secretary for Foreign Affairs & International Cooperation
London, England, UK

Keokuk for Global Awareness and Aid (KGAA)
Blake McGhghy
Keokuk, Iowa, USA

Kush Liberation Movement
Nuraddin Abdulmannan

Living Ubuntu
Barbara English, Executive Director
Newport Beach, CA, USA

Magdi Elgzouli 
Sweden

Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur
William Rosenfeld, Director
Boston, MA, USA

My Sister’s Keeper
Sarah Cleto Rial, Program Director
Boston, MA, USA

Namaa AL Mahdi 
London, England, UK

Never Again Coalition
Diane Koosed
Portland, OR, USA

New York Coalition for Darfur and All Sudan
Neiki Ullah, Communications Director
New York, NY, USA

Nuba Mountain American Advocacy Group
Mario Angelo, General Secretary
Fresno, CA, USA

Nuba Mountains Advocacy Group
Amin Zakaria Ismail
Batavia, Ohio, USA

Nuba Mountain Association Middle and West Africa
Musa Kudi, General Secretary
Abuja, Nigeria

Nuba Relief, Rehabilitation and Development Organization
Nagwa Musa Konda
Kauda, South Kordofan State, Sudan

Operation Broken Silence
Mark C. Hackett, President
Memphis, TN, USA

Professor Lord Alton of Liverpool
Independent Crossbench Member of the House of Lords
Secretary of the All Party British Parliamentary Associate Group on Sudan
London, England, UK

The Reverend Heidi McGinness
Humanitarian/abolitionist/pastor
In South Sudan in war and peace

San Antonio Coalition Against Genocide
Susan Smylie, Coordinator of Advocacy
San Antonio, TX, USA

San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition
Mohamed Suleiman, President
San Francisco, CA, USA

Society for Threatened Peoples
Sharon Silber, US Representative
New York, NY, USA

The South Sudanese Community
Natalina Malwal, President
Alexandria, VA, USA

Southern Sudan Community of New Hampshire
Dr. Sarah Alier, President
Manchester, NH, USA

Stop Genocide Now
Gabriel Stauring
Redondo Beach, CA, USA

Sudan Advocacy Action Forum
Bill Andress
Lexington, SC, USA

Sudan Liberation Movement – Minni Minawi
Tragi Mustafa, Leadership Council
Hamilton, Ontario, Canada

Sudan People’s Liberation Movement North
Anwar Elhaj, U.S. Representative
Washington, DC, USA

Sudan Unlimited
Esther Sprague, Director
San Francisco, CA, USA

The Sudanese Front for Change

Ubuntu Women Institute USA Inc
Sunday Taabu, President & Founder
Greensboro, NC, USA

Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI
Sandra Hammel, Director
Portsmouth, RI, USA

Voices for Sudan
Jimmy Mulla, President & Co-Founder
Washington, DC, USA

Waging Peace
Olivia Warham, Director
London, England, UK

Wendy James FBA CBE
Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology
University of Oxford, UK

Yahia Bolad, Darfuri
United Kingdom

Young Southern Sudanese Association
Gambella Dojiok, President/CEO
Phoenix, AZ, USA