{"id":181516,"date":"2015-12-08T21:01:00","date_gmt":"2015-12-08T21:01:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/dabangasudan.preview.websight.nl\/letter-to-un-head-us-president-on-aid-to-sudan-s-war-affected-areas\/"},"modified":"2015-12-08T21:01:00","modified_gmt":"2015-12-08T21:01:00","slug":"letter-to-un-head-us-president-on-aid-to-sudan-s-war-affected-areas","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.dabangasudan.org\/en\/all-news\/article\/letter-to-un-head-us-president-on-aid-to-sudan-s-war-affected-areas","title":{"rendered":"Letter to UN head, US president on aid to Sudan’s war-affected areas"},"content":{"rendered":"

A group of more than 100 international and Sudanese organisations and individuals have written a letter to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and US President Barack Obama in which they request them to take action to facilitate “safe, unhindered and immediate access of the United Nations and other humanitarian personnel to deliver equipment and supplies and to assist conflict-affected civilian populations” in Sudan.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Text of the letter in full: <\/em><\/p>\n

December 7, 2015<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

H.E. Mr. Ban Ki-Moon <\/p>\n

Secretary General of the United Nations <\/p>\n

New York, NY 10017<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

President Barack Obama<\/p>\n

The White House<\/p>\n

1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW<\/p>\n

Washington, DC 20500
\n <\/p>\n

RE: Unhindered Assistance from Multiple Locations for the Two Areas and throughout Sudan
\n <\/p>\n

Your Excellency and Mr. President,<\/p>\n

In light of the impasse at the 10th round of peace talks in Addis Ababa between the government of Sudan and the SPLM-N, we believe it is critical to recognize that it is a violation of international law to block humanitarian aid to innocent civilians living in conflict zones. Therefore, no party to the conflict should prevent the international community from providing humanitarian aid to the people affected by conflict in the Nuba Mountains\/South Kordofan and the Blue Nile states, commonly referred to as the Two Areas, of Sudan, or any other area within Sudan.<\/p>\n

According to multiple UN General Assembly Resolutions, UNOCHA, and the ICRC, humanitarian actions are founded on four guiding principles: humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence. These principles provide the foundation to establishing and maintaining access to affected people in a complex emergency such as armed conflict. If humanitarian assistance relief actions do not follow these principles then the entire operation puts the victims of conflict at risk and humanitarian assistance can become a weapon in furtherance of armed conflict.<\/p>\n

Since June 2011, the Government of Sudan has persisted in an aerial campaign to bomb the people and villages of the Two Areas, with attacks consistently having no military objective. Recent reports indicate the government is preparing for renewed fighting in the Two Areas with the delivery of new military equipment and reinforcements and the announcement by the Defence Minister to Parliament that the Two Areas “will be liberated through a massive military operation”.<\/p>\n

Aerial bombardment has terrorized the civilian population, killed, maimed and injured thousands, displaced over a million people, and intentionally destroyed crops, the primary food source for the civilian population. At the same time, the Government of Sudan has effectively refused to allow humanitarian assistance into the Two Areas, often putting forward conditions that make providing humanitarian assistance impossible.<\/p>\n

Article 7 of the Rome Statute, the founding legal statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC), sets forth crimes against humanity as including inhumane acts of intentionally causing great suffering, or serious injury to body or to mental or physical health. Further, other international criminal tribunals have rendered convictions based on similar principles. In its judgement of [Radislav, RD<\/em>] Krsti\u0107, the International Criminal Tribunal of the Former Yugoslavia (ICTY) found that the blocking of aid convoys was part of the “creation of a humanitarian crisis,” which, combined with crimes of terror and forcible transfers, incurred individual responsibility for inhumane acts and persecution as crimes against humanity. The International Committee of the Red Cross has also interpreted the Geneva Conventions and their protocols to prohibit states from unwarranted refusal of humanitarian access and assistance in conflict zones.<\/p>\n

Specific to Sudan, UN Security Council Resolution 2046 strongly urges the parties to comply with international humanitarian law and the guiding principles of emergency humanitarian assistance for safe, unhindered and immediate access of the United Nations and other humanitarian personnel to deliver equipment and supplies and to assist conflict-affected civilian populations. The African Union Peace and Security Council has repeatedly urged the parties to respect human rights and International Humanitarian Law and to allow humanitarian assistance to reach those in need.<\/p>\n

During the peace talks in Addis Ababa, the government of Sudan indicated that it would allow cross line humanitarian assistance to be provided from government-controlled areas, meaning that the government would be involved or would be perceived to be involved in the delivery of humanitarian assistance to the same people it is violently targeting, a clear violation of the principles of humanity, neutrality, impartiality and independence the people of the Two Areas have a right to enjoy.<\/p>\n

For obvious reasons, the people of the Two Areas do not trust the government of Sudan, and many parts of the population may well refuse to accept assistance that emanates from government-controlled areas. This will make assistance coming solely from government controlled areas ineffective and will undermine the very result that the international community is hoping to create.<\/p>\n

We urge the United States, the United Nations, and other interested parties to stop the ongoing crimes against humanity in the Two Areas and throughout Sudan by upholding international humanitarian law that ensures the unhindered delivery of assistance from multiple locations by the international community so that the people of Sudan can receive the life giving assistance that they so sorely need.<\/p>\n

Sincerely,<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Blue Nile Association for Peace and Development USA<\/p>\n

Commission for Protection of Civilians and Human Rights – Blue Nile, Sudan<\/p>\n

Funj Youth Development Association ( FYDA) – Blue Nile, Sudan<\/p>\n

Sudan’s Peace and Development Centre – Blue Nile, Sudan<\/p>\n

National Human Rights Monitors Organization – South Kordofan\/ Nuba Mountains, Sudan<\/p>\n

Nuba Christian Family Mission<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains Advocacy Group USA<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains Centre for Strategic Planning and Dialogue – London<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains Civil Society Organisation Alliance – Sudan<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains Civil Society Organization Union – USA and UK<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains International Association – Australia, Canada, USA, Egypt<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains People's Foundation – UK<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains People's Media Abroad<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains Solidarity Abroad (NMSA) – UK and Ireland<\/p>\n

Nuba Mountains Union of Associations and Organizations – Africa<\/p>\n

Nuba Moutains International Association – Lebanon<\/p>\n

Nuba Now – UK<\/p>\n

Nuba Vision Coalition, Inc.<\/p>\n

Civil Society Initiative – Signatory to Sudan Call Alliance<\/p>\n

Sudanese Solidarity Committee – Khartoum<\/p>\n

ACAVIE (Asociación) – Spain<\/p>\n

Arab Organizations Coalition for Sudan ( ACS) – Cairo, Egypt<\/p>\n

Association du RIF pour développement – France<\/p>\n

Collectif Urgence Darfour – Paris, France<\/p>\n

Darfur Association in Uganda<\/p>\n

Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre – Geneva<\/p>\n

Darfur Solidarity Group – South Africa<\/p>\n

Darfur Union in the UK and N. Ireland<\/p>\n

East and Horn of Africa Human Rights Defenders Project – Uganda<\/p>\n

Human Rights Organization and Development (HUDO) – Uganda<\/p>\n

International Refugee Rights Initiative – Uganda<\/p>\n

Jerusalem Center for Genocide Prevention<\/p>\n

PAX for Peace – The Netherlands<\/p>\n

People4Sudan – Geneva<\/p>\n

Society for Threatened Peoples – Germany<\/p>\n

Sudan Democracy First Group (SDFG) – Uganda<\/p>\n

Waging Peace – London<\/p>\n

Act for Sudan<\/p>\n

Humanity United<\/p>\n

United to End Genocide<\/p>\n

African Freedom Coalition<\/p>\n

African Soul, American Heart<\/p>\n

American Friends of the Episcopal Church of South Sudan and Sudan (AFRECS)<\/p>\n

Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development<\/p>\n

Brooklyn Coalition for Darfur & Marginalized Sudan<\/p>\n

Carl Wilkens Fellowship<\/p>\n

Catalyst Schools Projects<\/p>\n

Christian Solidarity International – USA<\/p>\n

Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action<\/p>\n

Colorado Episcopal Foundation<\/p>\n

Darfur Action Group of South Carolina<\/p>\n

Darfur and Beyond<\/p>\n

Darfur Interfaith Network<\/p>\n

Darfur Peoples' Association of New York<\/p>\n

Darfur Women Action Group<\/p>\n

Genocide No More – Save Darfur<\/p>\n

Genocide Watch<\/p>\n

Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide<\/p>\n

Human Rights & Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND)<\/p>\n

Idaho Darfur Coalition<\/p>\n

International Justice Project<\/p>\n

Investors Against Genocide<\/p>\n

Jews Against Genocide<\/p>\n

Joining Our Voices<\/p>\n

Long Island Darfur Action Group<\/p>\n

Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur<\/p>\n

Mercy Beyond Borders<\/p>\n

Never Again Coalition<\/p>\n

New York Coalition for Sudan<\/p>\n

Northwest Bronx for Change<\/p>\n

Nubia Project<\/p>\n

Operation Broken Silence<\/p>\n

Our Humanity in the Balance<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition<\/p>\n

Project Expedite Justice<\/p>\n

San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition<\/p>\n

Society for Threatened Peoples<\/p>\n

Stop Genocide Now<\/p>\n

Sudan Advocacy Action Forum<\/p>\n

Sudan Human Rights Network<\/p>\n

Sudan Unlimited<\/p>\n

Sudanese Marginalized Forum-USA<\/p>\n

The African Services Coalition of South Carolina<\/p>\n

The Elsa-Gopa Trust<\/p>\n

The Institute on Religion and Democracy<\/p>\n

Unite for Darfur Org.<\/p>\n

United Sudanese and South Sudanese Communities Association<\/p>\n

Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI<\/p>\n

Voices for Sudan<\/p>\n

Abdelrahman Mohamed Gasim, External Relations Secretary, Darfur Bar Association, Sudan<\/p>\n

Ahmed H. Adam, Visiting Fellow, Institute for African Development (IAD), Cornell University<\/p>\n

Dr Albaqir A. Mukhtar, Director El Khatim Adlan Center for Enlightenment & Human Development (KACE), Khartoum, Sudan<\/p>\n

Andrew Natsios, Former US Special Envoy to Sudan, George H.W. Bush School of Government and Public Service, Texas A&M University<\/p>\n

Baroness (Caroline) Cox, House of Lords and CEO, HART<\/p>\n

Dr Amin Mekki Medani, Human Rights Lawyer, Former Special Representative for the United Nations for Gaza, Bosnia and Lebanon<\/p>\n

Dr Gregory Stanton, Founding President, Genocide Watch, Research Professor in Genocide Studies and Prevention, George Mason University<\/p>\n

Dr. Pascale Hatcher, Associate Professor, Faculty of International Relations, Ritsumeikan University, Japan<\/p>\n

Dr. Samuel Totten, Professor Emeritus, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville<\/p>\n

Dr Ellen J. Kennedy, Executive Director World Without Genocide, William Mitchell College of Law<\/p>\n

Eric Reeves, Sudan Researcher<\/p>\n

Gill Lusk, Journalist specializing in the Sudans, London, UK<\/p>\n

Dr Hamid E. Ali, Associate Professor of Public Policy, The American University in Cairo<\/p>\n

Helen Fein, Board Chair, Institute for the Study of Genocide<\/p>\n

Henry C. Theriault, Professor and Chair of Philosophy, Worchester State University, Co-Editor, Genocide Studies International<\/p>\n

John Weiss, Associate Professor of History, Cornell University<\/p>\n

Caceres-Neuffer Genocide Action Group<\/p>\n

Khalid Kodi, Adjunct Professor, Boston College and Brown University<\/p>\n

Lord Alton of Liverpool, Member of the All Party British Parliamentary Group on Sudan, Professor of Citzenship, Liverpool John Moores University<\/p>\n

Mukesh Kapila CBE, Former Head of the UN in Sudan, Professor of Global Health and Humanitarian Affairs, University of Manchester<\/p>\n

The Reverend Ronald D. Culmer, St. Clare's Episcopal Church, Victoria Sanford, PhD, Professor and Chair, Department of Anthropology, Lehman College, Director, Center for Human Rights & Peace Studies, Doctoral Faculty, The Graduate Center, City University of New York<\/p>\n

Wendy James, Emeritus Professor of Social Anthropology, Oxford University<\/p>\n