SHRO-Cairo Reports

November 27, 2001

The Government of Sudan Must Allow Humanitarian Support to South and Nuba Mountains

The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) dated November 26, 2001, documented the traumatic situation of war disasters in the South and Nuba Mountains as areas mostly affected by civil war.

To redress this situation with urgent development and humanitarian aid, the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Sudan 2002 includes 39 projects totaling US$ 194,502,863 from ten UN agencies and two non-governmental organizations (NGOs.

The OCHA reports "For those areas currently affected by war and conflict, such as in Unity State and the western Upper Nile region, the Nuba Mountains, northern and western Bahr El Ghazal and East Equatoria, conditions and coping mechanisms for survival are deteriorating". Drought and seasonal hunger produced high rates of malnutrition in the country.

"In areas under Government control, the national malnutrition rate (moderate plus severe) in children under-five rose from 18% in 1991 to 23% in 1999. Malnutrition rates rose to 30% in Unity State. Malnutrition for under-five children is estimated at 8.6% in South Darfur and 34% in Blue Nile State. The nutritional status of "under-fives" has remained more stable or improved in Government held areas of Bahr El Ghazal, Equatoria, Upper Nile and in Kassala and Darfur states. However the overall unstable food security situation in these war/drought affected areas remained fragile and emergency situations can lead to a dramatic rise in malnutrition. Since late 2000 and into 2001, malnutrition is on the rise in certain areas (principally in Upper Nile and Aweil South in Bahr El Ghazal) as a result of insecurity, difficult humanitarian access and an early hunger gap."

According to OCHA: "In this context of continuing disruption to livelihoods of the civilian population both of civilian populations through both war and natural disasters, basic issues of food security, health and nutrition, and protection remain prominent. The persistence of malnutrition among the very young and the elderly is of particular concern. Protection of and for beneficiaries, promotion of humanitarian principles in the implementation of humanitarian assistance, the promotion of human rights, and the importance of peace-building, are priorities for the humanitarian programme."

The Humanitarian themes of the Program include the Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Response, involves preparing for and responding to acute emergencies arising from war and natural disasters, Internal Peace-Building and Promotion of Human Rights that aims at facilitating community-based rehabilitation of services, conflict resolution and mediation at the grass-roots levels, the promotion of communal harmony, and respect for fundamental human rights as defined in the International Bill of Human Rights and other international instruments. Also emphasized is a selection of cross-cutting issues focusing on gender, HIV/AIDS, and capacity-building.

Projects under the Appeal are divided into eleven sectors: 1) Food; 2) Agriculture / Household Food Security; 3) Health and Nutrition; 4) Family Shelter and Relief Items; Shelter and Relief Items; 5) Water and Environmental Sanitation; 6) Education; 7) Protection, Human Rights and the Rule of Law; 8) Coordination and Support Services; 9) Security; 10) Mine Action; and 11) Multi-Sectoral Programs.

The United Nations Report clearly states that, "The Government has been reluctant to allow UN access to these areas for emergency relief purposes; as a result, the UN has not yet been able to reach and assist the population in a seemingly assist in dealing with what seems to be an unfolding humanitarian crisis."

The international report further states that "Progress has stalled on the issue of air question of the corridors of air access to the SPLM/A-controlled areas. Whereby the Government wishes for the corridor to be operational via the GoS-controlled airport at nearby El Obeid; the SPLM/A insists on direct access from the UN/OLS operational and logistics base at Lokichoggio in northern Kenya."

SHRO-Cairo is gravely concerned that "Without humanitarian assistance, it is expected that tens of thousands more would die, hundreds of thousands more would move. Operating in the midst of a civil war, humanitarian assistance has slowed down the deterioration in the conditions of living for the three million or so who are served by it … Of all areas of the humanitarian programme, security services should not depend on direct donor support. The operating environment in many of the working areas is problematic and often dangerous for both humanitarian workers and beneficiaries."

SHRO-Cairo recalls the Government’s continuous attacks on civilian establishments since the beginning of year 2001. The Government’s reluctance to allow the United Nations to process humanitarian support to the needy population is escalating displacement, drought, and hunger. This policy makes of all development promises of the Government a sheer lie.

Despite the initial agreement between America’s Special Envoy Mr. John Dansforth and the Government of Sudan to allow humanitarian support in the Nuba Mountains, the Government continues air bombing and other military action versus the civilian population. The persistent terrorist performance of the GoS towards the Confidence-Building plan with the America’s Special Envoy is jeopardizing the whole tranquillity and safety of our country.

The negative statement by Government’s Spokesman, Mr. Ghazi Atabani (November 26, 2001) that "the Envoy is putting pressure on the government" testified to the GoS determination to pursue war mongering for political purposes at the expense of peace and development.

• SHRO-Cairo asks the Government of Sudan to stop all military operations in the war-affected areas, allow full-scale uninterrupted UN humanitarian support to our People in Upper Nile, Bahr Al-Ghazal, Equatoria, and the Nuba Mountains, and take the required measures for confidence-building with the National Democratic Alliance in accordance with regional and international agreements.
• Shro-Cairo asks the Government of Sudan to act seriously, in good faith, and clear peace policy with the American Envoy, SPLM, and the NDA to insure that the Consolidated Inter-Agency Appeal for Sudan 2002 that includes 39 projects totaling US$ 194,502,863 is the right target to save Sudan from the waste of war that Government is pursuing sine June 30, 1989, to this moment.
  
• SHRO-Cairo is aware that the meeting of the SPLM/SPLA’s Chairman Dr. John Garang de Mabior, Chairman with the American Special Envoy for Peace in Sudan, Senator John Dansforth (Nairobi, November 17, 2001) re-affirmed "the two sides commitment to the search for peace in the Sudan, and steps to be taken to attain a just and lasting solution to the conflict." The Organization welcomes this commitment to the search for peace and calls for the Government of Sudan and the International Community to join this serious endeavor.
  
• The Organization urges the Government of Sudan to come into agreement with the human rights issues of the SPLM/SPLA-American Envoy's meeting that particularly includes the urgent need to support the provision of uninterrupted relief to the Nuba Mountains, as well as all other hunger or drought areas all over the country. This issue overlaps with the UN humanitarian concerns as discussed in this report. Of particular importance, SHRO-Cairo emphasizes the OCHA’s needs to insure humanitarian support to the needy population. This demands the immediate stoppage of the Government's air bombing on civilian targets.
  
• SHRO-Cairo urges the Government of Sudan to work closely with human rights groups in and outside the country to eradicate slavery, ethnic cleansing, and hate crimes especially by the government-supported militias that wrongfully abuse the Islamic notion of Jihad.
  The Organization has repeatedly asked the GoS to respect the civil freedoms of the People of Sudan by the full insurance of the freedom of expression and the other fundamental rights. The measures required by the National Democratic Alliance to abrogate the Constitutional Decree 2, the permanent state of emergency law, and the Public Order Act must be fully undertaken.
  
• SHRO-Cairo affirms that the opportunity of confidence-building in the country must be staged to lead the country to a democratic transition government that should insure the right for self determination to the South, Nuba Mountains, and Ingessana Hills as a fundamental basis for the United Sudan.
  
• The Organization urges the SPLM/SPLA and the NDA leadership to take serious measures to stop military action, help process a permanent cease-fire with GoS armed forces, and help the UN and other agencies humanitarian support to our People in the war-affected areas.