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Letter to UN Security Council for March 2016

Download the pdf of this letter here.

H.E. Ambassador Ismael Abraão Gaspar Martins
Permanent Representative, Mission of Republic of Angola to the UN
President, United Nations Security Council

Your Excellency,

We, the undersigned 116 representatives of Sudanese and international humanitarian and human rights organizations and advocates, write to you in your capacity as President of the UN Security Council (UNSC) for March 2016 to request your assistance in bringing before the UNSC the outstanding arrest warrants for President Bashir of Sudan, the first of which was issued 7 years ago today on March 4, 2009, for the purpose of encouraging cooperation by the members of the UNSC and all UN member states to facilitate the immediate arrest of Bashir and all those indicted for crimes committed against the people of Darfur in order, as the Rome Statute states, to “put an end to impunity…and to contribute to the prevention of such crimes” in Sudan and throughout the world.

The failure of the UN member states to arrest Bashir has caused great suffering for the people of Sudan, the region and the world:

• African Islamic University in Khartoum serves as a hub for training Islamists and extremists that operate in Nigeria, Somalia and in other parts of Africa and the Middle East; the regime supports the Muslim Brotherhood and Joseph Kony; and it provides arms to the Islamist rebels in Libya while fueling conflict in South Sudan.
• According to UNHCR, the number of Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) in Sudan has climbed to 2,342,979 and those who have sought refuge in other countries from state sponsored violence totals 640,919.
• Camps for IDPs and refugees from Darfur are being attacked and/or dismantled, leaving residents defenseless and homeless.
• Massive attacks, including aerial bombardment, in the Jebel Marra area of Darfur have been ongoing since January 15, 2016.
• Villages are being burned in El Geneina, the capital of Western Darfur State.
• Bombing and a massive government military campaign are underway in the Nuba Mountains and Blue Nile state, where, along with other locations in Southern Kordofan, crimes against humanity are rampant.
• Life-saving international humanitarian aid is denied by the government to its victims throughout Sudan including Eastern Sudan.
• Dams are being built in Sudan in specific locations designed to eliminate Nubian cultural sites.
• Basic freedoms are denied throughout Sudan and those who question the regime face detention, torture and death.

Today, while you meet with your colleagues inside the United Nations, we will be in front of the UN, representing the victims of Bashir and calling for his immediate arrest. Today in Sudan, millions of people are hungry, hurting and living in fear, and they are looking to you to stand on their behalf at a time when they feel hopeless and forgotten. Please put intense pressure on the Sudan government to stop aerial bombardment in Darfur, the Nuba Mountains and in Blue Nile state and to end all attacks on civilians, especially those in IDP camps. In addition, please require that the Sudan government allow international humanitarian aid to reach Sudanese who are in such desperate need throughout the country.

The future of Sudan can look much different than its past, but it will take the courage and resolve of leaders like you to uphold international law and to send a message to criminals world-wide that crimes against humanity, war crimes and genocide will not be tolerated. Instead, through your actions and by arresting Bashir, the world will see that the United Nations is committed to maintaining international peace and security, upholding justice, and protecting the fundamental dignity and human rights of all people.

CC:

H.E. Ban Ki-Moon, Secretary General, United Nations
Amb. Samantha Power, Permanent U.S. Representative to the UN
Amb. Matthew Rycroft, Permanent Representative, UK Mission to the UN
Amb. François Delattre, Permanent Representative of France to the UN
Amb. Liu Jieyi, Permanent Representative of the People’s Republic of China to the UN
Amb. Vitaly Churkin, Permanent Representative of the Russian Federation to the UN
Amr Abdellatif Aboulatta, Permanent Representative of the Arab Republic of Egypt to the UN
Amb. Motohide Yoshikawa, Permanent Representative of Japan to the UN
Amb. Dato’ Ramlan Ibrahim, Permanent Representative of Malaysia to the UN
Amb. Gerard van Bohemen, Permanent Representative of New Zealand to the UN
Amb. Fodé Seck, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Senegal to the UN
Amb. D. Román Oyarzun Marchesi, Permanent Representative of Spain to the UN
Amb. Volodymyr Yelchenko, Permanent Representative of Ukraine to the UN
Amb. Elbio Rosselli, Permanent Representative of Uruguay to the UN
Amb. Rafael Darío Ramírez Carreño, Permanent Representative of Venezuela to the UN
Signed by:

• Act for Sudan, Martina Knee, Co-Founder, USA
• Ahmed H. Adam, Visiting Fellow, Institute for African Development, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
• Motasim Adam, Human Rights Activist, Brooklyn, NY, USA
• African Freedom Coalition, Al Sutton, President, New York, NY, USA
• Alliance of Sudanese Opposition Forces, Adam Abu Altaiman,Canada
• American African Foundation Against Torture, Inc, Zainelabdin E. Osman, President, Mohamed Y. Khalifa, Secretary General, Schenectady, NY, USA
• American Friends of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan (AFRECS), Richard Parkins, Executive Director, Alexandria, VA, USA
• Association of the Sons of Darfur in the City of Tucson, Abuelgasim Salih, Chairman Tucson, AZ, USA
• Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development, Ibrahim Ahmed, Herndon, VA, USA
• Blue Nile Association For Peace and Development, Omer Abdelsawi Omer, Mulberry, FL, USA
• Blue Nile Youth Associated Organization for Peace and Stability (BNOPS), Hashim Orta Adaw, Blue Nile, Sudan
• Brooklyn Coalition for Darfur & Marginalized Sudan, Laura Limuli, Coordinator, Brooklyn, NY, USA
• Brooklyn For Peace, Charlotte Phillips, M.D., Chairperson, Brooklyn, NY, USA
• Caceres-Neuffer Genocide Action Group, Prof. John H. Weiss, Founder/Director, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
• Carl Wilkens Fellowship, Beth Woskow McDaniel, Advisory Board, Redondo Beach, CA, USA
• Dr. Frank Chalk, Professor of History and Director, The Montreal Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
• Christian Solidarity International-USA, Rev. Heidi McGinness, Director of Outreach, Denver, CO, USA
• Church Alliance for a New Sudan, Faith J. H. McDonnell, Director, Washington, DC, USA
• Collectif Urgence Darfour, Dr. Jacky Mamou, Chairman, Paris, France
• The Baroness Cox, House of Lords and President of Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust, London, UK
• DAAM-UK, Ali Abdelatif M. Hussein, London, UK
• Damanga Coalition for Freedom and Democracy, Daowd Salih, Board President, Falls Church, VA, USA
• Darfur Action Group of South Carolina, Dr. Richard Sribnick, Chairman, Columbia, SC, USA
• Darfur Alert Coalition, Dr.Ali Dinar, President, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• Darfur and Beyond, Cory Williams, Phoenix, AZ, USA
• Darfur Association, Ismail Adam, Canada
• Darfur Bar Association, Abdelrahman Gasim, External Relations Secretary, Sudan
• Darfur Community Organization, Bakheit A. Shata, Founder and Executive Director, Omaha, NE, USA
• Darfur Interfaith Network, Martha Boshnick, Co-Chair, Washington, DC, USA
• Darfur People’s Association of New York, Mohamed Haroun Ebead, President, Brooklyn, NY, USA
• Darfur Women Action Group, Niemat Ahmadi, Founder/President, Washington, DC, USA
• Dear Sudan, Love Marin, Gerri Miller, Coordinator, Tiburon, CA, USA
• Democratic Unionist Party, Abubakr Sidahmed, Canada
• The Rt. Rev. Julian M. Dobbs, Missionary Bishop, Convocation of Anglicans in North America, McLean, VA, USA
• Doctors to the World, C. Louis Perrinjaquet, MD, MPH, Medical Director, Breckenridge, CO, USA
• Aicha Elbasri, former Spokesperson for the African Union-United Nations Mission in Darfur
• Caroline Faria, Assistant Professor, UT Austin, Austin, TX, USA
• Genocide No More–Save Darfur, Marv Steinberg, Coordinator, Redding, CA, USA
• Genocide Watch, Greg Stanton, President, Research Professor, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution, George Mason University, Arlington, VA, USA‎
• Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide, Melanie Nelkin, Chair, Atlanta, GA, USA
• Government Accountability Project, Beatrice Edwards, International Program Director, Washington, DC, USA
• Group Against Torture in Sudan-GATS, Mohamed Elgadi, Acting Secretary, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• Harry Potter Alliance, Matt Maggiacomo, Executive Director, Cranston, RI, USA
• Help Nuba, Rabbi David Kaufman,Co-Chair, Des Moines, IA, USA
• Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND), Abdalmageed S. Haroun, President, Brooklyn, NY, USA
• Human Rights and Development Organization (HUDO), Bushra Gamar Hussein – CEO, Kampala, Uganda
• Humanity Is Us, Kimberly Hollingsworth, Founder, New York, NY, USA
• Institute for the Study of Genocide, Dr. Ernesto Verdeja, Executive Director, US
• International Justice Project, Monica Feltz, Executive Director, Newark, NJ, USA
• Investors Against Genocide, Eric Cohen, Chairperson, Boston, MA, USA
• Institute on Religion and Democracy, Mark Tooley, President, Washington, DC USA
• Italians for Darfur, Antonella Napoli, President, Rome, Italy
• Jewish World Watch, Mike Brand, Director of Policy and Programs, Encino, CA, USA
• Jews Against Genocide, Sharon Silber, Co-Director, New York, NY, USA
• Joining Our Voices, Slater Armstrong, Founder/Director, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
• Lehman Center for Human Rights & Peace Studies, Dr. Victoria Sanford, Director, Bronx, NY, USA
• Long Island Darfur Action Group, Nancy Walsh, Coordinator, Farmingdale, NY, USA
• Massachusetts Coalition for Darfur, William Rosenfeld, Director, Boston, MA, USA
• Mukesh Kapila, former Head of the UN in Sudan (2003-2004), Geneva, Switzerland
• Gill Lusk, Writer on the Sudans, London, UK
• Martin Technical Services’ Access Coalition Project, Deborah Martin, Director, Nashville, TN, USA
• National Religious Leaders of African Ancestry, Rev. Dr. Herbert Daughtry, Chairperson, Brooklyn, NY, USA
• Never Again Coalition, Lauren Fortgang, Co-Chair, Portland, OR, USA
• New York Coalition for Sudan, Eileen Weiss, Co-Founder, New York, NY, USA
• New York Darfur Vigil Group, Helga Moor, Coordinator, New York, NY, USA
• Nuba Mountains Advocacy Group – USA, Gogadi Amoga, Chair, Amelia, OH, USA
• Nuba Mountains International Association, Fadlallah Hassan, Canada
• Nuba Mountains International Association USA, Komi Alaiaiser, President, Lorton, VA, USA
• Nuba Mountains Peace Coalition, Tito Elgassai, Dallas, TX, USA
• Nuba Now Campaign, Claire Vera, London, UK
• Nubia Project, Nuraddin Abdulmannan, President, Washington, DC, USA
• Operation Broken Silence, Mark C. Hackett, Executive Director, Memphis, TN, USA
• Our Humanity in the Balance, Terry Nickelson, Executive Director, Deming, NM, USA
• Pax Christi Metro New York, Rosemarie Pace, Director, New York, NY, USA
• People4Sudan, Valerie Delacretaz, Global Coordinator, Geneva, Switzerland
• Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition, David Rosenberg, Coordinator, Pittsburgh, PA, USA
• Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), W. Mark Koenig, Director, Presbyterian Ministry at the United Nations, Louisville, KY, USA
• Martin Raffel, Human Rights Activist, former Senior Vice President of the Jewish Council for Public Affairs, East Brunswick, NJ, USA
• Eric Reeves, Sudan Researcher, Author of Compromising with Evil: An Archival History of Greater Sudan, 2007 – 2012 (eBook, 2012), Northampton, MA, USA
  Republican Brotherhood, Buthaina Terwis, Calgary, Canada
• Hawa Abdalla Salih, Human Rights and Women’s Rights Activist, Recipient, 2012 U.S. Secretary of State’s International Women of Courage Award, Philadelphia, PA, USA
• San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition, Mohamed Suleiman, President, San Francisco, CA, USA
• Nina Shea, Director, Center for Religious Freedom, Hudson Institute, Washington, DC, USA
• Skills for Nuba Mountains(SNM), Lazim Suleiman El basha, Executive Director, Kauda, South Kordofan, Sudan
• Prof. Emer. Robert Skloot, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, USA
• St. Clare’s Episcopal Church, The Reverend Ronald D. Culmer, Rector, Pleasanton, CA, USA
• Society for Threatened Peoples, Ulrich Delius, Africa Desk, Göttingen, Germany
• Brian Steidle, Author of The Devil Came on Horseback: Bearing Witness to the Genocide in Darfur, USA
• Stop Genocide Now, Katie-Jay Scott, Redondo Beach, CA, USA
• Sudan Advocacy Action Forum, Dr. Eleanor Wright, Moderator, Birmingham, AL, USA
• Sudan Democracy First Group, Monim Al Jak, Acting Executive Director, Kampala, Uganda
• Sudan Sunrise, Thomas M. Prichard, Executive Director, Reston, VA, USA
• Sudan Unlimited, Esther Sprague, Founder, San Francisco, CA, USA
• Sudanese-Canadian Forum for Peace and Democracy, Elham Bakri, Toronto, Canada
• Sudanese Committee for Change, Magdi Abdulmoniem, Edmonton, Canada
• Sudanese Community Church of Denver, Ayyoubawaga (Oja) B. Gafour, Episcopal Diocese of Colorado, Denver, CO, USA
• Sudanese Congress Party, Alharith Elhaj, Canada
• Sudanese Engineers Trade Union, Hashim Mohammed Ahmed, President Elect of the Legitimate Union, Oxford, UK
• Sudanese Marginalized Forum-USA, Magid Kabashi, Chair, New York, NY, USA
• Sudanese Women Association, Solaima Yousuf, Canada
• The Elsa-Gopa Trust, Nell Okie, Director, Madison, CT, USA
• The MagkaSama Project, Max Dana, Founder, Paris, France
• Henry C. Theriault, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Worcester State University, Worcester, MA, USA
• Rebecca Tinsley, Founder, Waging Peace, London, UK
• Samuel Totten, Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas, Author of An Oral and Documentary History of the Darfur Genocide, Fayetteville, AR, USA
• Unite for Darfur Organization, Bahar Arabie, CEO, Gaithersburg, MD, USA
  United Sudanese And South Sudanese Communities Association (USASSCA), Dr. Henry Lejukole, Chairman, Des Moines, IA, USA
• United to End Genocide, Hon. Thomas H. Andrews, President and CEO, Washington, DC, USA
• Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI, Sandra Hammel, Director, Portsmouth, RI, USA
• Voices for Sudan, Jimmy Mulla, President and Co-Founder, Washington, DC, USA
• Waging Peace, Olivia Warham MBE, Director, London, UK
• Dr. James E. Waller, Cohen Professor of Holocaust & Genocide Studies, Keene State College, Keene, NH, USA
• Elhag Ali Warrag, Editor in Chief, Hurriyat Sudan, Egypt
• World Peace and Reconciliation (WP&R), Tobi Indyke, Secretary, Morris Plains, NJ, USA
• World Without Genocide at Mitchell Hamline School of Law, Ellen J. Kennedy, Ph.D., Executive Director, St. Paul, MN, USA
• Adeeb Yousif, School for Conflict Analysis and Resolution (S-CAR), George Mason University (GMU), Arlington, VA, USA