ANCA Gives Voice to Demand that UN Act on Sudan Relief

WASHINGTON— The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) this week joined with over 120 human rights, faith-based, public interest, and ethnic organizations in calling for decisive UN action to press Sudan to allow humanitarian access to the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur.

The letter, initiated by United to End Genocide and directed to members of the United Nations Security Council, was signed by the ANCA along with the NAACP, American Jewish World Service, American Islamic Congress, Common Cause, Human Rights Watch, Humanity United, National Association of Evangelicals, National Council of the Churches of Christ, TransAfrica, and more than 100 other local, state, and national organizations.

The full text of the letter is provided below.

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September 21, 2012

Dear Ambassador:

We are deeply alarmed by the ongoing lack of full and unhindered access for international humanitarian aid agencies to all areas within the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur. Despite a United Nations Security Council Resolution calling on the government of Sudan to immediately allow for such access in the two areas—and a memorandum of understanding concluded between the UN, the African Union, and the League of Arab States (the so-called “Tripartite Partners”) and the Sudanese government providing for humanitarian aid delivery—one million people continue to suffer from food insecurity as well as the continued threat of indiscriminate bombings and attacks on civilians.

It has been over four months since the UN Security Council, acting under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, called on the government of Sudan to immediately accept the Tripartite Partners’ proposal to permit humanitarian access throughout the two states. The resolution followed months of delay on the part of the Sudanese government over the review of a proposal that the Tripartite Partners submitted concerning aid delivery. On Aug. 5, 2012, Khartoum finally signed a memorandum of understanding with the Tripartite Partners that sets out deadlines related to the planning for and distribution of international humanitarian assistance. To date, the government has ignored the deadlines laid out in the memorandum and exhibited no indication that it intends to allow the full and unhindered delivery of aid throughout South Kordofan and Blue Nile.

The UN Security Council committed in Resolution 2046 to hold all parties who fail to comply with the resolution’s terms fully accountable through the imposition of measures under Article 41 of the Charter. It is imperative that it do so. Those parties that fail to meet their obligations should face strong consequences including the imposition of sanctions. In its upcoming review of the compliance of the parties with Resolution 2046, the government of Sudan’s failure to abide by the provisions related to humanitarian assistance and to comply with the agreement which it signed should be considered a key factor in determining what actions the Council takes. For many in South Kordofan and Blue Nile, this is a matter of life and death.

For over a year, the government of Sudan has refused to allow aid into these two states, resulting in emergency levels of food insecurity (one level below famine) for 150,000-200,000 people in Southern Kordofan, and crisis levels for hundreds of thousands of others in Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile. Continued aerial bombardments by the Sudanese Armed Forces and fighting with rebel groups have displaced or severely affected an estimated 665,000 people inside Southern Kordofan and Blue Nile and led 205,000 refugees to flee to South Sudan and Ethiopia, where they continue to face desperate conditions.

We welcomed the conclusion of a memorandum of understanding between the government of Sudan and the Tripartite Partners, but are distressed that the government of Sudan once again continues to delay in its implementation of a key agreement. Similarly, we appreciate the actions of the UN Security Council to secure the delivery of humanitarian aid and to support the initiation of a political dialogue between the government of Sudan and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-N. However, such actions will be of little consequence to civilians on the ground if the Council does not make efforts to ensure that the government of Sudan complies with the Council’s approach.

If Sudan continues to ignore its obligations to allow humanitarian access to the people of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, we urge that the UN Security Council move swiftly to impose consequences for this failure and to consider alternative means for delivering aid.

Signed by:

1. Act for Sudan

2. Aegis Trust

3. African Centre for Justice and Peace Studies (ACJPS)

4. African Soul, American Heart

5. Afro-Canadian Evangelical mission

6. Alliance for the Lost Boys of Sudan

7. American Friends Service Committee US West Region

8. American Islamic Congress

9. American Islamic Forum for Democracy

10. American Jewish World Service

11. Americans Against the Darfur Genocide

12. Armenian National Committee of America

13. Arry Organization for Human Rights and Development

14. Beja Organization for Human Rights and Development

15. Blue Nile Association

16. Bnai Darfur Organization

17. Brooklyn Coalition for Darfur & Marginalized Sudan

18. Center for Peace, Justice and Reconciliation

19. Change the world. It just takes cents.

20. Christian Lifeline International Aid

21. Collectif Urgence Darfour

22. Colorado Coalition for Genocide Awareness and Action

23. Combat Genocide Association

24. Common Cause

25. Community Empowerment for Progress Organization-CEPO

26. Congregation of St. Joseph

27. Connecticut Coalition to Save Darfur

28. Darfur Action Group of South Carolina

29. Darfur and Beyond

30. Darfur Interfaith Network

31. Darfur Leaders Network

32. Darfur People’s Association of New York

33. Darfur People’s Association of New York Brooklyn

34. Darfur Rehabilitation Project, Inc.

35. Darfur Relief and Documentation Centre

36. Darfur Solidarity In USA

37. Darfur Union, UK and Ireland

38. Dear Sudan, Love Marin

39. Doctors to the World

40. Enough Project

41. Episcopal Diocese of Mississippi

42. Foreign Policy in Focus

43. Genocide No More – Save Darfur

44. Genocide Watch

45. Georgia Coalition to Prevent Genocide

46. GlobalSolutions.org

47. Help Nuba

48. Holocaust Museum Houston

49. Hope With (South) Sudan

50. Human Rights and Advocacy Network for Democracy (HAND)

51. Human Rights Org.

52. Human Rights Team – Community of Christ

53. Human Rights Watch

54. Humanitarian Aid Relief Trust (HART)

55. Humanity Is Us

56. Humanity United

57. Investors against Genocide

58. Iowa Center for Genocide Prevention

59. Italians for Darfur

60. Jewish World Watch

61. Jews Against Genocide

62. Joining Our Voices

63. Kamma Organization for Development Initiatives (South Sudan)

64. Keokuk for Global Awareness and Aid

65. Leadership Conference of Women Religious

66. Live Well South Sudan

67. Long Island Darfur Action Group

68. Massachusetts Coalition to Save Darfur

69. Moro Association of the United States.

70. My Sister’s Keeper

71. NAACP

72. National Association of Evangelicals

73. National Council of the Churches of Christ

74. Never Again Coalition

75. New York City Genocide Prevention Coalition

76. New York Coalition for Darfur and All Sudan

77. New York Darfur Vigil Group

78. Nuba Christian Family Mission

79. Nuba Mountain Peace Coalition

80. Nuba Mountains Advocacy Group

81. Nuba Mountains International Association

82. Nuba Relief, Rehabilitation and Development Organization

83. Nuba Vision Coalition, Inc

84. Nubia Project

85. One Million Bones

86. Operation Broken Silence

87. Peace Action

88. Persecution Project Foundation

89. Physicians for Human Rights

90. Pittsburgh Darfur Emergency Coalition

91. Presbyterian Church, (USA), Office of Public Witness

92. Rabbinical Assembly

93. San Francisco Bay Area Darfur Coalition

94. Save Darfur North Shore

95. Save Darfur Washington State

96. Shine A Ray of Hope

97. Society for Threatened Peoples

98. South Sudan Institute for Women’s Education and Leadership

99. South Sudan Women Christian Mission for Peace

100. Stop Genocide Now

101. Strategic Centre for Social Studies in Blue Nile

102. Sudan Advocacy Action Forum

103. Sudan Democracy First Group

104. Sudan Human Rights Network

105. Sudan Rowan, Inc.

106. Sudan Unlimited

107. Sudanese Australian Human Rights Association

108. Sudanese Front for Change

109. Sudanese Marginalized Forum

110. Temple Ahavat Achim Darfur Social Action Committee

111. The Africa Institute of American Jewish Committee

112. The Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society (HIAS)

113. The Institute on Religion and Democracy

114. TransAfrica

115. Triangles of Truth

116. Ubuntu Women Institute USA Inc.

117. Unitarian Universalist Association

118. Unitarian Universalist Service Committee

119. United Methodist Church, General Board of Church and Society

120. United to End Genocide

121. Use Your Voice to Stop Genocide RI

122. Voices for Sudan

123. Waging Peace

1 Comment

  1. This is great – in line with our goals and aim regarding Genocide, recognizing a people’s determination for independence (South Sudan), etc. Are we signing up for Syrian relief for innocent minorities and Christians treated inhumanely and killed because of Western propaganda and immorally foreign policy?

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