Directed to members of the United Nations Security Council, the NAE joined with over 120 human rights, faith-based, public interest and ethnic organizations in calling for decisive U.N. action to press Sudan to allow humanitarian access to the Sudanese states of South Kordofan and Blue Nile, as well as Darfur.

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