A statement For Immediate Release
Aware of the current conflict between the Government of Sudan (GoS) and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement/Army-North (SPLM/A-N), in response to the worsening humanitarian situation in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, the SPLM/N accepted the United Nations, African Union and the League of Arab states proposal for delivery of humanitarian assistance to the war affected population in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile states in February 2012.
On 5 August 2012, the SPLM-N signed a bilateral Memorandum of Understanding with the tripartite partners on delivery of humanitarian assistance to the affected populations. However, various delays, lack of adherence to deadlines and poor faith in the implementation, have eroded the credibility of the process facilitated by the African Union High-Level Implementation Panel (AUHIP) and brought negotiations to a deadlock.
On February 14th 2013 the AUHIP extended another invitation to SPLM-N for direct talks with the government of Sudan on March 5th 2013, the invitation was further delayed to march 10th 2013, a deadline that has not been honored and further delay is apparent. Thirteen months since the tripartite proposal has been signed and almost a year since the African Union Communique and the UNSC resolution 2046 were adopted, the situation in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile has now aggravated manifold; especially in recent weeks due to the massive aerial bombing and ground military operations that are taking place in Blue Nile. Over 8000 more civilians have been displaced multiple times as a result of this offensive. About 20000 IDPs are now starving and blockaded in Kau, Nyaro and Werni in Eastern part of Southern Kordofan and need immediate humanitarian intervention.
More than a million people in the two states are deliberately deprived of life-saving daily necessities such as food, medicine and shelter because the government of Sudan continues to deny independent international humanitarian organizations and UN relief agencies access to the war-affected areas. The GoS continues to derail all efforts for direct talks to reach a negotiated humanitarian access for assistance in the two areas. The internally displaced persons and war-affected communities in the two areas live in precarious humanitarian conditions and their situation will deteriorate further in the absence of any external efforts to provide them with the minimum life-saving assistance.
It is clear that the GoS is not interested to negotiate humanitarian access to the war affected areas in the two states while large numbers of the civilian population are dying on daily basis of lack food and medicine. The international community is silent about this crisis and lacks the political will to enforce the UNSC res 2046 and the AUPSC communique issued nearly a year ago. It is a shame that the world watches thousands die in front of their own eyes and do nothing!